Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing. Stephen Hawking More Quotes by Stephen Hawking More Quotes From Stephen Hawking We shouldn't be surprised that conditions in the universe are suitable for life, but this is not evidence that the universe was designed to allow for life. We could call order by the name of God, but it would be an impersonal God. There's not much personal about the laws of physics. Stephen Hawking lawnamesorder "Sooner or later disasters such as an asteroid collision or a nuclear war could wipe us all out, But once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe." Stephen Hawking independentspacewar With genetic engineering, we will be able to increase the complexity of our DNA, and improve the human race. But it will be a slow process, because one will have to wait about 18 years to see the effect of changes to the genetic code. By contrast, computers double their speed and memories every 18 months. There is a real danger that computers will develop intelligence and take over. We urgently need to develop direct connections to the brain so that computers can add to human intelligence rather than be in opposition. Stephen Hawking realracememories There is no way that we can predict the weather six months ahead beyond giving the seasonal average. Stephen Hawking weatheraveragegiving What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise. Stephen Hawking rubbishgiantsworld Many people do not like the idea that time has a beginning, probably because it smacks of divine intervention. (The Catholic Church, on the other hand, seized on the big bang model and in 1951 officially pronounced it to be in accordance with the Bible. Stephen Hawking handspeopleideas Disability need not be an obstacle to success. Stephen Hawking disabilityobstaclesneeds The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet. Let's hope we can avoid dropping the basket until we have spread the load. Stephen Hawking droppingeggsrace Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill. Stephen Hawking populationgrowinguse The Universe in a Nutshell Stephen Hawking universe In real time, the universe has a beginning and an end at singularities that form a boundary to space-time and at which the laws of science break down. Stephen Hawking spacereallaw God not only plays dice, he throws them in the corner where you can't see them. Stephen Hawking playfunnyscience You cannot understand the glories of the universe without believing there is some Supreme Power behind it. Stephen Hawking behindsglorybelieve In this way, Edwin Hubble worked out the distances to nine different galaxies. We now know that our galaxy is only one of some hundred thousand million that can be seen using modern telescopes, each galaxy itself containing some hundred thousand million stars. Stephen Hawking distancedifferentstars Only a very few would allow creatures like us to exist. Thus our presence selects out from this vast array only those universes that are compatible with our existence. Although we are puny and insignificant on the scale of the cosmos, this makes us in a sense the lords of creation. Stephen Hawking cosmoscreationspring Scientists tend to risk theories they admire Stephen Hawking scientistrisktheory It is said that there's no such thing as a free lunch. But the universe is the ultimate free lunch. Stephen Hawking ultimatelunchsaid We see the universe the way it is because we exist. Stephen Hawking universeway A million million million million (1 with twenty-four zeros after it) miles, the size of the observable universe. Stephen Hawking sizefourtwenties I put a lot of effort into writing 'A Briefer History' at a time when I was critically ill with pneumonia because I think that it's important for scientists to explain their work, particularly in cosmology. This now answers many questions once asked of religion. Stephen Hawking pneumoniawritingthinking
