
Stephen Hawking has died - Cogito
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43396008
======
joshumax
For a second I just couldn't believe this was real. Stephen Hawking was one of
those people that inspired me towards a career in science, as well as a
pursuit of discovering what mysteries of the universe I could uncover within
my (cosmically short) lifetime. He did this not through some major life-
altering speech I heard from him (although his talks and lectures were quite
interesting), or through some grand quote that I read online, but rather
through the fact that he carried with him the enthusiasm that comes with
looking up, seeing a vast universe looming all around us, and finding that
inner spirit--that inner sense of wonder--that drives us forward in an attempt
to make sense of it all. Rest in peace Stephen Hawking; you will be missed.

~~~
mgolawala
I agree completely.

Who will take his place? Who will be the Stephen Hawking of my children's
generation?

As a society we should work hard to find, celebrate and give a platform to the
Stephen Hawking-s and the Carl Sagan-s of tomorrow. The impact of such
"celebrity scientists" (I do not use that term pejoratively) is far greater
than the measure of the work they have done. It is how they inspire an entire
generation to seek out knowledge, understanding and fill us all with a sense
of humility, awe and wonder.

~~~
nylonstrung
Neil Degrasse Tyson is clearly vying for the slot but seems to make science
seem more elitist, more pedantic (read literally any of his tweets) and thus
appears to miss the point entirely

~~~
Raidion
Tyson doesn't have the academic credentials that Hawking or someone like
Richard Feynman does. The power of Hawking and Feynman is that they both were
at the top of their fields, but took the time to make the foundations of their
science accessible to the common man. Tyson has done great things, but he's
not quite there.

~~~
devy
What about Michio Kaku? Google always shows him along side when searching for
Tyson.

~~~
auntienomen
Kaku is not in the first rank of theorists. He knows the physics, but he's
primarily a popsci figure. Hasn't produced original research in decades.

------
slavik81
That man was my hero. If I achieve a fraction of what he accomplished in his
life, I will be incredibly proud.

Against all odds, he lived a full and amazing life. It somehow feels even more
painful to lose a man who cheated death. It just gives you that feeling that
they can somehow live forever, until the moment when the illusion is
shattered.

And underneath it all is that unshakable feeling. Memento mori. Slowly my
childhood heroes will drift away until there's none left. Then it will be my
turn to drift away.

I miss him already. The world is always going to be a little sadder without
him. Though, maybe I can still make it to his party.

    
    
        A RECEPTION FOR TIME TRAVELLERS
        Hosted by
        PROFESSOR STEPHEN HAWKING
        To be held in the past, at
        THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
        Gonville & Caius College, Trinity Street, Cambridge
        Location: 52˚ 12' 21" N, 0˚ 7' 4.7" E
        12:00 UT 28 JUNE 2009
        NO RSVP REQUIRED

~~~
yesbabyyes
He fooled Death, staved off it's dance

it beat him yet, Longinus' Lance

now the bet is in our hands

perhaps we'll get another chance:

Wise for ever, still funny now

The party's on the day of Tau

He chose a funny day to die

A perfect day: the day of Pi.

~~~
forgetfuldino
14/03/2018?

~~~
croon
> Combined date and time in UTC: 2018-03 14T12:33:18+00:00

> 2018-03-14T12:33:18Z

> 20180314T123318Z

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601)

------
n17r4m
Even if there is only one possible unified theory, it is just a set of rules
and equations. What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a
universe for them to describe? The usual approach of science of constructing a
mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a
universe for the model to describe. Why does the universe go to all the bother
of existing? Is the unified theory so compelling that it brings about its own
existence? Or does it need a creator, and, if so, does he have any other
effect on the universe? And who created him?

Up to now, most scientists have been too occupied with the development of new
theories that describe what the universe is to ask the question why. On the
other hand, the people whose business it is to ask why, the philosophers, have
not been able to keep up with the advance of scientific theories. In the
eighteenth century, philosophers considered the whole of human knowledge,
including science, to be their field and discussed questions such as: did the
universe have a beginning? However, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries,
science became too technical and mathematical for the philosophers, or anyone
else except a few specialists. Philosophers reduced the scope of their
inquiries so much that Wittgenstein, the most famous philosopher of this
century, said, “The sole remaining task for philosophy is the analysis of
language.” What a comedown from the great tradition of philosophy from
Aristotle to Kant!

However, if we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be
understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then
we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to
take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the
universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate
triumph of human reason – for then we would know the mind of God.

\-- Stephen Hawking

~~~
telesilla
A reminder he stated he was an atheist, so I take his words on god with a
grain of salt.

“We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average
star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very
special.” (Hawking)

~~~
akvadrako
To an atheist physicist God probably means the universe or the forces that
govern the universe. They share many of the same properties, like being all
powerful†, outside of time and space and being creators, not the created.

† within the constraints of some universal logic

~~~
telesilla
I agree, though to be clear - the difference between religion and science is
that religion affords god with cognitive intent. I'd be surprised to hear if
Hawking believed that the force that we might describe as god has qualities of
compassion and judgement as well as having set forth the rules that govern
atomic motion.

~~~
akvadrako
That's a tougher one, but maybe the universe has such an intent also. Take the
principle of least action. It seems like systems take the path from A -> C
that's shortest in total even if the chosen A -> B and B -> C are both longer
than alternatives.

Maybe there is even a sense of "thinking" ahead to understand which path will
be shorter before making the choice.

------
troymc
Growing up in the middle of nowhere, Canada in the 1980s, the library didn't
have many good science books. When Hawking's book got published, it was the
only thing available like that anywhere around. Remember, this is before you
could get any book in existence within one month via Amazon. There was no
Amazon.

I got _A Brief History of Time_ and read it, and it's almost cliche to say so,
but it changed the course of my life. It's not the only book that affected me,
but it was pivotal. George Gamow's little book also was available, and some
good Asimov stuff, but otherwise nothing really.

So I went to university in the big city (Saskatoon!) and studied physics, and
they had a whole _library_ of physics books! You'd think it was like heaven,
but a lot of those books were crap or hard to read. Hawking showed how one can
aim for a book that's interesting-and-good and actually achieve it. A few
others managed to do the same. There are probably 20 actually-good and
readable physics books in the whole world, and his books are a few of them.

~~~
o2l
Can you share the names of other physics books that you think are good &
readable ?

~~~
dalbasal
'A short history of nearly everything' is extremely readable. Written by a
comedic writer. It surveys much of scientific knowledge roughly narrated as a
history of scientific discovery and the development of science.

'Elegant universe' is a little denser. It's about as accessible as string
theory gets, and that's surprisingly accessible. It also surveys a lot of
scientific knowledge. For example, it has a very intuitive explanation of how
knowing about the constant speed of light (Einstein) makes time travel
possible. Also, it explains open questions that string theory is trying to
solve, which are the big, TOE questions in physics currently.

Hard to beat Hawkins though. He heavily influenced and inspired these guys, an
proved that hard science is interesting for everyone. Goodbye Professor. You
will be missed.

~~~
pan69
> 'A short history of nearly everything' is extremely readable. Written by a
> comedic writer.

Bill Bryson normally writes travel books, so the way this book is written is
not your standard science approach. This book in particular is very
entertaining since the topic is out of the authors comfort zone.

A Short History of Nearly Everything is actually my favourite book to read
while travelling, funnily enough.

------
Dangeranger
“I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I’m
not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do
first.”

\-- Stephen Hawking

~~~
nabla9
He died in π-day that also happens to be Albert Einstein's birthday.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
It would destroy my sense of Hawking's rationally to imagine him using a
month-day-year date ordering. ;o)

~~~
wolph
He would use year, month, day of course. The only format that makes sense.
Shortened to month, day.

------
stochastic_monk
Stephen Hawking was very special to me. He's a large part of why I chose a
life in science in general and physics in particular.

I'm just one of many, but he unmistakably and uniquely affected my life for
the better.

Growing up, I read Brief History of Time and Universe In A Nutshell dozens of
times each. I relished the jokes I got, and I won't forget him.

I also weep for him, knowing he never got the Nobel prize he wanted so very
much.

I haven't shed a tear for many people in their passing, but I have for him.

Thank you for opening my eyes to the wonders of the universe. You are an
irreplaceable part of who I have become today.

~~~
ethbro
I had the honor of attending one of his lectures at CWRU in undergrad.

Two things forever stick out in my memory.

#1 - That he told jokes during his lecture. To be wheelchair bound, facing a
degenerative condition... and still have humor. Inspiring.

#2 - The respectful silence. At least at the lecture I attended, he live keyed
his entire speech. This meant the synthesizer would speak, followed by 20 or
30 seconds of absolute silence as he buffered the next few sentences. I
remember not a soul spoke in that time above a whisper.

And he deserved every ounce of respect.

~~~
tintor
"At least at the lecture I attended, he live keyed his entire speech. This
meant the synthesizer would speak, followed by 20 or 30 seconds of absolute
silence as he buffered the next few sentences."

He was "typing" one bit at a time? How can he type the entire sentence so
quickly?

~~~
NamTaf
Yes. Here's some info on his setup. It tracked the motion of his cheek, which
he could still control, to stop on a letter. It scanned through the alphabet
and he had to pull it up at the right time.

[http://www.hawking.org.uk/the-computer.html](http://www.hawking.org.uk/the-
computer.html)

I also just started typing that in present tense ('tracks'...) and had to pull
myself up. :(

~~~
ethagknight
“I can also give lectures. I write the lecture beforehand then save it to
disk. I can then use a part of the ACAT software called Lecture Manager to
send it to the speech synthesiser a paragraph at a time. It works quite well
and I can try out the lecture and polish it before I give it.”

Interesting!

------
cyberferret
Oddly, this news struck me harder than other recent deaths of celebrity
musicians that I was huge fans of. I guess Professor Hawking always had that
aura of timelessness around him, and everyone just knew he was doing important
work that would change humanity's understanding of the universe and our place
in it.

It seems somehow unfair to have him taken away in the middle of all that.

EDIT: Fond memories of walking around Cambridge University two decades ago
with my cousin, and she casually pointed to a building and said "Oh, Stephen
Hawking works in there". Seemed so mundane to think that such important works
were going on in some nondescript building that I just happened to be walking
past. I always envisaged him working on a totally different plane from the
rest of us mere peons.

~~~
Smaug123
You're quite right. I saw him once, giving a supervision in the Core of the
Centre for Mathematical Studies. He walked among us ;)

------
Aloha
He was 76, for a man not expected to make it out of his 20's I think he did
okay.

It's a sad loss for science, but he's also now freed from a body he was
becoming increasingly locked in, with less and less ability to communicate
over time.

His passing is perhaps more humane - I don't know though, humaneness is in the
eye of the person living it.

~~~
themihai
>> he's also now freed from a body he was becoming increasingly locked in,
with less and less ability to communicate over time.

Well, now he lost any kind of ability to communicate.

~~~
satori99
Well, two-way communication, sure. But his words and ideas will continue to be
communicated for a very long time.

He is one of the very rare human beings whose names will never be forgotten.

~~~
Aloha
Arguably he's probably there with Newton, Sagan, Darwin and Einstein

~~~
prawn
In before or instead of Sagan possibly? I was not particularly aware of Sagan
before the internet, whereas I imagine Hawking has been a household name in
much of the world for decades?

~~~
gkya
Shouldn't downvote this. Carl Sagan is nowhere as famous as the other three,
probably except the US.

~~~
pvaldes
Sagan is a special case. Will be remembered (mainly) as a very good science
communicator. Not so many people connect it with a famous and top-class
scientist woman. The work of his first wife, Lynn Margulis, changed forever
the concept of evolution.

If we put Sagan with Darwin we should not forget to add Margulis to this list
also.

~~~
satori99
My rule of thumb is whether or not you get your name attached to some physical
phenomena. ie: Newtonian Physics, Hawking Radiation, etc.

~~~
Aloha
That's a fair yardstick

------
wizardforhire
Few have accomplished as much while overcoming so little compared to Hawkings.
Hawkings is and will always be a hero.

To think when he started out black holes were just a myth. He got to witness
not only their acceptance and his own vindication but actual gravitational
waves as well!

~~~
icelancer
>> Few have accomplished as much while overcoming so little

It's weird; I individually understood both achievements but never thought
about their combination that seriously until it was worded like this. Very
well put.

~~~
callumlocke
Shouldn't it be "while overcoming so much"?

~~~
evincarofautumn
I think the intent was to say that few people have accomplished as much as he
has, and they have overcome little compared to him.

------
tabeth
Perhaps just as shocking to me as this news was the fact that he was 76! Given
his accomplishments and youthful demeanor in his recent communications this
totally caught me off guard. That, and the fact that he lived _way_ longer
that expected, given his circumstances. Objectively a triumph. In addition to
his obvious, scientific exploits, hopefully the money raised in 2014 for ALS
will ensure future scientists won't have to endure such hardship.

Rest in peace.

------
Dangeranger
“What do Sheldon Cooper and a black hole have in common?” Hawking asked the
fictional Caltech physicist whose IQ comfortably outstrips his social skills.

After a pause, the answer came: “They both suck.”

Stephen's sense of humor has always cracked me up.

~~~
toomuchtodo
He made so many cameos:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking_in_popular_cul...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking_in_popular_culture)

and was on not only The Simpsons, but Futurama as well!

~~~
Dangeranger
John Oliver asked: "Is there a universe where I am smarter than you?"

Stephen Hawking replied: "Yes, and also one, where you are funny."

------
propman
An inspiring role model in so many aspects, RIP to one of the greatest minds.
I strongly believe that his perseverance through his circumstances is even
more admirable than his research. It's so easy to become bitter and jaded when
a shocking event like that occurs. At the best, you make peace and live as
happy a life as you can...but to stand tall and rebuke Fate, defy all odds and
even banish almost certain Death for decades through sheer willpower and
passion for knowledge is something else. And to hold that tiny, bright flame
against an unrelenting torrent for 55 years, always curious, always following
his passion...the world lost one of the greats tonight.

~~~
addicted
I agree that his perseverance is the most admirable. I try and put myself in
his shoes and it's daunting to say the least.

But even ignoring the challenges he crushes he would have been an amazing
human being.

------
simonsarris
_Dost thou love hawking? Thou hast hawks will soar_

 _Above the morning lark._

– Shakespeare

------
richardfeynman
I accidentally ate Stephen Hawking's lunch once at a conference at Caltech.

~~~
stonedartist
Please explain more...

~~~
comboy
Surely you're joking mr. richardfeynman.

Come on guys, think this through. Hawking. Eating. Movement.

I'm sure he would have appreciated this joke though and how it got at least
two of you ;)

~~~
slavik81
Hawking's condition worsened steadily throughout his life. While he was
wheelchair-bound by the end of the 1960s, he was still capable of speaking
until the 1980s. In the 1970s, he was already an accomplished scientist and
would probably have been capable of eating a normal lunch.

The timing would even work for the incident to involve the real Richard
Feynman. Though, I can't find anything to suggest the story is true.

~~~
comboy
It seems that in 1970s when he was at Caltech he already barely could talk,
but who knows.

~~~
slavik81
By the late 1970s he was quite difficult to understand, but consider that he
began his graduate studies in 1962.

------
drawkbox
Sometimes the RNG of the Universe creates people with intelligence, innovation
and insight that are one in a billion that make the world better than it was
before in immense ways, Stephen Hawking is one of those mountain movers.

People like Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan, Nikola Tesla and even Elon Musk
today, that make us look up, innovate and think way out there, bring us
together and remind us we are all on this planet together and can do amazing
things if we choose to put our energy towards it.

~~~
intenseSpec
Serious question, why is Elon Musk lumped in with Tesla, Hawking, and Sagan?
Musk's achievements are assisted by the fact that he has tens of thousands of
engineers at his companies and he gets credit for every one of their ideas,
all their work, and all the life they give up for his dreams. He didn't found
Paypal (his company merged with it), he didn't found Tesla (kicked out one of
the original founders), and he didn't come up with the idea for the Hyperloop
either. So, why is a CEO who benefits and takes credit for the effort of
others lumped in with individuals?

~~~
RayVR
Musk is an incredible self-promoter. He talks about how he is going to save
the world, critics just don’t understand or just want to see him fail, and his
words bounce around an ideological echo chamber where the facts of his claims
don’t matter.

IMO, the google founders have had a far larger impact on the world than Elon,
however, they don’t promote themselves endlessly.

~~~
Liron
Without Elon Musk, do you think humanity would currently be in possession of
reusable rocket boosters? (Regardless of Page and Brin's accomplishments.)

~~~
madengr
Yes. The space shuttle had reusable boosters. Retro rockets for landings were
used in th Apollo and Viking programs.

~~~
Liron
Can you link to a specific rocket booster that was reused? Doesn't count if
it's a retrorocket helping slow down some capsule that also has a parachute.

------
pvsukale3
I read A brief history of time when I was 11. Since then every single time I
have reread the book I have found something new. I waited every Monday night
for his show into the universe with Stephan Hawkins. He was the reason I
became more curious and skeptical about nature of things. My hats off to this
amazing conscious being made from stardust.

~~~
jakecopp
I read the book at a similar age and I remember it made a strong impression on
me.

------
pknerd
Stephen Hawking was born on the date of Galileo's death, the 8th of January.

He has died on the date of Albert Einstein's birth, the 14th of March.

Source:-
[https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/status/973807157182332928](https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/status/973807157182332928)

------
sus_007
Do we know what killed him? All of these articles have very little
information. Was it the natural progression of ALS or some other kind of
disease?

~~~
sevenfive
At 76, I think it's fair to say he just died.

I actually had no idea he was that old. Maybe he looked younger than he was
because he had no wrinkles.

~~~
zanny
Nobody "just dies". Most "natural deaths" are still heart failure. The rest
are other kinds of organ failure.

For a lot of people that die natural deaths they could have lived longer if
they had kept fit. It just gets really hard to either do or justify when
everything hurts and gets harder to do year over year. Or when you are
confined to a wheelchair since your early 20s, were told you would only live
two years, and then beat that prognosis 27 times over.

But if you are able, even small amounts of cardio exercise could dramatically
extend your health and lifespans in old age.

~~~
thaumasiotes
It's true that an autopsy will show a cause of death for anyone. In that
sense, you don't "just die".

But after a certain point, that cause of death starts looking pretty
meaningless. Everything is failing at once; if you hadn't died of your actual
cause of death, you would have died shortly afterwards from another one. In
that sense, you do "just die" of old age.

~~~
andrewaylett
In the UK, old age isn't a legal cause of death for people under 80.

------
jaequery
He was a living triumph. Lived and achieved beyond what his body would allow.

~~~
fermienrico
What a beautiful mind. He played a big role in who I am today - I majored in
Physics and later in engineering because of his book. He inspired me to
understand science and use it to improve the world.

------
Errsher
Seems to be more info in this article:
[https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/mar/14/stephen-
hawk...](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/mar/14/stephen-hawking-
professor-dies-aged-76)

~~~
dhbanes
This reads like a pre-prepared obituary. No additional information regarding
his death.

~~~
pmoriarty
Pre-prepared is exactly how most obituaries are written. Newspapers keep such
pre-prepared obituaries of famous people on-hand so that they can publish them
instantly if that person happens to die.

Any newspapers who don't do this will lose the all-important race for
publication to newspapers that do.

~~~
timb07
And because obituaries are pre-prepared, they're sometimes mistakenly pre-
published.

~~~
awad
On at least one occasion that I can recall, an obituary for Steve Jobs was
published prematurely. As you can imagine, this caused a minor panic before
retraction.

------
Dangeranger
"It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love."

\-- Stephen Hawking

------
nilkn
I think in the back of my mind I always thought of Hawking as being immortal.
He lived for over 50 years with a debilitating terminal illness, and yet his
accomplishments so vastly exceeded the capabilities of his body. It’s hard to
believe he was capable of dying.

------
nzoschke
A Brief History Of Time expanded my mind like few other books. Thank you Dr.
Hawking.

------
dandersh
While people are going to focus on his impact in physics and science in
general, and rightfully so, I've experienced a greater impact from his life.

I had a close friend of mine who was wheel chair bound. For him Hawking
demonstrated the possibility of people accepting him for who he was and
enjoying his company irrespective of any perceived differences. He wanted to
interact, have friends, build relationships, and this was something that was
more expected as a result of Hawking's public profile.

Ultimately he served as not just a role model, but someone who expanded
awareness that those in wheelchairs were people too.

------
PaulHoule
At risk of being voted down I will say that the time in which Hawking has
worked has been a "dark ages" for physics in my mind. (As a physics PhD; and I
don't blame Hawking for this, rather the rest of the environment.)

Circa 1970 the number of physics PhD's produced has outstripped the number of
permanent jobs in physics, sometimes by a factor of 30:1!

One result of that is that physicists have to make it through a keyhole to get
established. Another change that has happened since then has been a profound
disconnect between theory and experiment. Back in the day, Einstein could make
a prediction about light being bent by the Sun and have it be confirmed in his
own lifetime.

The "modern" physics superstar like Hawking or Witten just doesn't do that.
When neutron oscillations were finally detected after years, it is almost
forgotten who to give credit for for the theory because it is really just a
conjecture that some matrix element isn't zero. Even in condensed matter there
is the spectacle of seeing theoreticians dogpile on the problem of cuprate
oxide superconductivity for 20 years without making any progress until an
experimentalist noted stripes in the electron density.

The result of it is that you get ahead by getting the approval of much older
physicists, not by understanding the world.

As for Hawking himself, his ideas about information loss in black holes, the
wavefunction not being unitary and all that were just plain bad ideas that
held back quantum gravity by 30 years or so.

~~~
darkerside
I'm a tech worker not a scientist, but I think I understand. What frustrates
me more than groupthink itself is when a group of people who consider
themselves truth seekers somehow considers themselves immune to groupthink.

------
l3robot
RIP to one of the great. Not only he was one of the genius minds of our time,
but he also was an important symbol of perseverance for all of us.

------
allpratik
I always thought Stephen Hawking to be an epitome of what could science
possibly do. The way he had used technology to remain alive as well work
productively for so long is really mesmerising.

One of my close friend recently lost his entire vision due to optic nerve
atrophy. And since then he is sort of lost and we used Stephen Hawking example
many times to cheer him and overcome his new disability. And it works as well.

It hurts me a lot to realise now that one of the greatest dreamer of our time
is simply gone now.

Sadly his brief period has come to an end.

RIP Stephen Hawking.

------
jjordan
Right up there with Einstein, Bohr, Tesla as one of the most brilliant humans
to ever live. Learning about Hawking radiation for the first time forever
changed how I looked at this thing we call existence. Thanks, Stephen.

------
vit05
My grandmother had ALS. I remember when my mother went to tell me about her
disease she gave me his book[1]. It helped me in two ways, to research more
about the disease, many articles were about him, and to learn more about the
universe.

Rest in peace. [https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Nutshell-Stephen-William-
Haw...](https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Nutshell-Stephen-William-
Hawking/dp/055380202X)

------
remarkEon
As a kid my first introduction to Hawking was on a Star Trek: The Next
Generation episode.

This deserves a black bar. This man I’m sure inspired almost everyone here in
some way. Odd to think he’s dead. I thought he’d live forever...

~~~
TeMPOraL
Not my first introduction to him, but it was great to see him there. Despite
being soft sci-fi, Star Trek - TNG in particular - was always a show about
wonders of science at heart.

Incidentally, Stephen Hawking was the only person to play himself in Star
Trek.

------
miguelmota
_" Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what
you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious."_

\- Stephen Hawking

------
jtchang
Stephen Hawking defined an entire generation. Say what you will but he created
a culture far beyond that of just a physicist. He was both parodied and
revered.

------
ddmma
At least humanity will buy and read more Stephen Hawking books from now on. We
must feel more special only by sharing the our timeline with this brilliant
mind. More great discoveries and light will be in the future, we will exist to
provide proof of the visionaries.

------
LearnerHerzog
A man with truly inspiring perspectives... of the cosmos and of the self.

 _" In fact, my disability has been a help in a way, it has freed me from
teaching or sitting on boring committees and given me more time to think and
do research. Theoretical physics is one of the few fields in which being
disabled is no handicap — it is all in the mind."_ -Stephen Hawking

------
doppp
On Pi Day, no less. RIP.

~~~
excalibur
Much more significantly, it's Einstein's birthday.

~~~
sgroppino
Nature couldn't have chosen a better day to honour both.

------
jordanpg
Hawking plays The Guide Mark II in the new BBC radio dramatization of book 6
of the Hitchhiker’s Guide “trilogy”:
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p060hy01](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p060hy01)

A wonderful, somehow fitting, celebration.

------
galaga99
There aren't that many humans that have made such a dent in the world as
Stephen Hawking.

He will not be forgotten.

Rest in peace.

------
exodust
On his website I found this TED talk by Peter Diamandis where Hawking fulfils
his dream of going to space on the zero-g aeroplane. He was 65 at the time.

They did several more parabolas than planned, 8-10 min of weightlessness each
time. He loved it. Still images only, but it's great to see him out of his
wheelchair and floating in space.

[https://youtu.be/0VJqrlH9cdI](https://youtu.be/0VJqrlH9cdI)

------
anoopelias
Born on the same day as Galileo died and died on the same day as Einstein was
born.

'Stars were aligned' :) I guess.

~~~
erric
Just the Birthday Problem in action.

------
SpaceManNabs
Pouring a glass and will read some of his papers again tonight. So sad. Great
inspiration. Great hero.

------
rvo
Let's celebrate his amazing life.

"The diagnosis of motor neurone disease came when Hawking was 21, in 1963. At
the time, doctors gave him a life expectancy of two years.[253][254]"

It must be quite taxing to have been given that diagnosis at such a young age,
and then live to a relatively old age. I wonder how that marginally impacted
his view on life, work and relationships.

Sad he didn't get the Nobel.

------
smithmayowa
Very sad news for the physic and science community in general his book A brief
history of time made me understand black holes.

------
zw123456
He was an amazing inspiration to me and I am sure many others. I raise a glass
tonight to a very special human being.

------
aaachilless
It's really beautiful how the entire world [1] has in unison recognized the
life of this great man. There's something uncanny, sort of cinematic, about
the information of his death radiating out across the globe and "lighting" us
up as we consider what an incredible human being he was.

[1] Maybe not the "entire" world, but all the news orgs I checked had news of
his death on their front page as of 2-3 minutes ago:

Al Jazeera // CNN // Fox News // ABC (Australia) // France 24 // DW (Germany)
// reddit // HN // NY Times // BBC // WaPo // the Guardian // the Japan Times
// Xinhua (China)

------
orangehour
Stephen Hawking (along with Richard Feynman) are the reasons for my interest
in the Sciences. There's nothing I can say now to thank him, but I will always
cherish his works.

"Nothing is better than reading and gaining more and more knowledge" \-
Stephen Hawking

------
0xb100db1ade
I mean no disrespect, but I find it bitter-sweetly amusing that, of all days,
he died on Pi Day

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_Day)

~~~
sidcool
That is no disrespect. It's an homage to pi.

------
GenYCubeJockey
Gone but never to be forgotten. He just finally found the Fry Hole...I mean,
Hawking Hole.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW-p8s_HCCo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW-p8s_HCCo)

------
Arubis
I wish I had the words, and know that I won’t. But there was a time when A
Brief History made me feel a little less alone in those socially awkward
years, and I’m eternally indebted for that.

Rest in peace, good sir. You’ve earned it.

------
whiddershins
I can’t explain why, but I’ve never felt so appreciative of the HN black bar

------
andrei_says_
I have never met this man and yet I feel deep loss and gratitude. I feel
personally enriched by his life.

------
newscracker
I liked the movie, "The Theory of Everything", which allowed for more people
to learn about this phenomenal human being. [1] I also liked his appearances
in shows (like The Big Bang Theory). We would've looked forward to a lot more
from him! He will be missed!

[1]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Theory_of_Everything_(2014...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Theory_of_Everything_\(2014_film\))

------
Cogito
One of my most enduring memories is putting on the audio book for "A Brief
History of Time" to listen to on a long drive home with my brother.

I'd read and listened to it before, but sitting there watching my brother
listen to it for the first time, I realised just how clearly and succinctly
Hawking mapped out the ideas and way of thinking I use to try and find my
place in the universe.

I'm quite grateful I had the opportunity to read it.

------
mojomark
Dr. Hawking has had a profound influance on my life, and I presume the same
for many others on HN. For some reason I found solace today in this song "Page
One", which I'm just going to leave here:

[https://open.spotify.com/track/2HZEJcDdPUh1umsw4qcY1X?si=3Vf...](https://open.spotify.com/track/2HZEJcDdPUh1umsw4qcY1X?si=3Vf-
DXNWQGu6q5810nH-QA)

------
onetimemanytime
RIP, he did a lot to popularize science.

Let's look at a different angle: He lived to 76 years old, a man with a
disease that once gave you a few years at most. 76 is more or less a full life
today. With all the challenges and stresses, we (or a lot of us) do live in
great times. Even the greatest King could have died from a cut on his finger a
few centuries ago...now penicillin is given for free even in USA.

~~~
abraae
I believe his longevity was little to do with any special treatment and more
to do with the strain/variety of the disease.

My brother in law contracted Motor Neuron, was given 2 years to live, and died
after 2.5 years, the last year of which was not really living.

Up until then I had never understood that Stephen Hawking was actually in one
sense amazingly lucky.

RIP, an amazing fellow.

------
giis
RIP Stephen Hawking

I'm one of those million of lives you have inspired. I brought A Brief History
of Time with my first salary. Thank you for everything.

------
eljimmy
If you haven't read it yet, give 'A Brief History of Time' a read. Even if
you're not a big book reader, it's only about 250 pages. Great way to pay
respects to this legendary man.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Brief_History_of_Time](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Brief_History_of_Time)

------
wolph
He's the perfect example of how much you can achieve even on borrowed time.
There's never a reason to truly lose hope

------
OrganicMSG
Wasn't he still working on physics? If so, I prefer the terminology of Erdős,
he hasn't died, he has merely left.

~~~
lulmerchant
He absolutely was. Personally I think one of the saddest things about this is
that Susskind has lost his greatest (friendly) intellectual rival. Those two
spending years arguing with each other over the information paradox was
absolutely fantastic. (And personally I’ve always felt that Hawking was the
perfect counter weight to how strongly opinionated Susskind is)

------
ivl
Reading that headline it took me a moment. His books shaped my interest in
science, and were wonderful to read and enjoy, even to push on family members.
A monumentally inspiring person, not just for his scientific accomplishments,
but also for how incredibly he handled the hand he was dealt.

He will be missed, dearly.

------
BooneJS
NYT: [https://nyti.ms/2tKRHQL](https://nyti.ms/2tKRHQL)

------
mullikine
Im truly gut wrenched hearing about this. Such an inspirational person. Thank
you God for giving us Hawking

------
k_sze
I hope that he has actually transcended to some higher dimensions, joining
other great minds like Einstein and Bohr, and that they are actually playing
around with even more advanced forms of physics, peering into black holes and
quarks like they were toys.

------
gurpreet-
A truly sad day for us all. He was a person who showed us that we can do
amazing things even when we're up against debilitating diseases. He was an
inspirational person who is up there with the greats and will be remembered
for eons to come.

------
dzink
He proved the body is just a carrier for the mind.

------
jonbarker
We owe him, Sagan, Feynman and a few others a debt of gratitude for writing
and speaking about their discoveries to the general public. Without their
realization that more people should be aware of this stuff, no popular
science!

------
amyjess
I'm going to provide a slightly different perspective from what I've seen, not
just here but in other communities as well.

I've seen a lot of people talking about how his death was such a horrible
thing, how it saddens them. I don't see it that way. Sure, the world was a
better place with his expertise, but the man had been suffering for decades
with one of the most horrifying diseases in the world, and in the end I'm just
glad that he's not suffering anymore. I hope that, wherever he is, he's
finally free.

------
sitkack
I am not sad for him, I am sad for us.

------
JepZ
"I don’t think we will survive another 1,000 years without escaping beyond our
fragile planet,..."

This mission statement for humanity is what I will keep with my inner compass.

RIP Stephen Hawking

------
racl101
Talk about beating the odds.

He showed ALS who's boss! He demonstrated that when you have a purpose and the
will to live one can overcome their limitations.

He inspired me and countless of others.

R.I.P. Dr. Hawking.

~~~
vixen99
I absolutely back what you say about Hawking but having a lot of money and a
team of dedicated medical specialists at your disposal does help. Let's have a
moment's thought for the non-public figure ALS sufferers who don't have those
resources available nor a huge number of well-wishers across the world to keep
up their spirits.

~~~
pvaldes
Is an horrible disease and we must understand, crush and defeat it as soon as
possible.

------
dev1n
I remember being in the fifth grade and finding my dad’s copy of “A Brief
History of Time” and thinking to myself “wow that’s an interesting title..” I
read it all (barely understanding any of it really cause I was 10) to my
hearts content. That book taught me how to ask questions and think
differently. I am so so grateful to have inhabited the Earth the same time
Stephen Hawking did. Thank you for igniting my curiosity. Rest In Peace.

------
bitwize
76 years isn't a bad run, and it's amazing for someone with ALS (which also
took my uncle a couple years ago). And he did much more with that time than
most of us would even be able to countenance. He was a modern-day Einstein, in
the sense that his tremendous contributions to science have made him the face
of science itself in the public eye.

It's just like Hawking to check out on Pi Day.

------
scraft
You ignored what life presented you, And strived to achieve your goal. You
took the time to share with us, The universe, big and small.

You reminded us what makes a man, Comes from deep inside. With your wicked
sense of humour, And your persistence to survive.

We thank you for all that you did, And for all that you will do. You may no
longer live amongst us, But we will still look up to you.

RIP Stephen Hawking, 1942-2018.

------
aerioux
RIP one of the greatest physicists in human history

------
siliconunit
Like many here he was an inspiration for me too, I read his books at an early
age and along with others it got me inspired to pursue scientific studies. It
also helped me come to terms with the fear of death and eventually see the
odds of sentient life and appreciate the ride without the egotistic entitled
feeling that sparks that fear in the first place.Rip Stephen.

------
interlocutor
FWIW, Stephen Hawking's son works in the tech industry. He is a software
engineer at Microsoft. See [https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-
stories/stephen-hawk...](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-
stories/stephen-hawkings-family-children-inherit-12185407)

~~~
heedlessly2
can we just give his family some privacy? Jeez...

------
foobaw
R.I.P Stephen. He was such an inspiration to a lot of people and probably will
be for a lot of people in the future.

------
juliand
Thank you for everything

------
thomasfortes
There are few people that will be remembered for centuries and centuries to
come, but I'm pretty sure that Stephen Hawking is one of them.

Rest in peace Dr. Hawking, the scientific community and all the science
enthusiasts in the world will hold your contributions and the story of your
life dearly in their hearts.

------
klinskyc
Aw man. I don't have anything profound, but I always smile when I read this
XKCD - [https://xkcd.com/799/](https://xkcd.com/799/)

------
senderista
Best tribute I've read, from his collaborator Roger Penrose:
[https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/mar/14/stephen-
hawk...](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/mar/14/stephen-hawking-
obituary)

------
xoa
I can think of no higher praise then that he changed the course of so many of
our lives personally and of humanity's understanding of the universe as a
whole. Though small in physical stature he has become a truly giant set of
shoulders upon which many more shall stand. Thank you for everything.

------
intopieces
I'd like us to take a moment to recognize how excellent his website is:

[http://www.hawking.org.uk/](http://www.hawking.org.uk/)

Straight to the point. Easy to navigate. The most modern addition is the
facebook like button, but even that is unobtrusive.

------
eganist
I can't say I feel qualified to make the sorts of truly inspiring tributes I'm
reading so far. I just want it known that one more person appreciates all he's
done to motivate people such as myself to look up at the stars and pursue a
career chasing them.

~~~
abakker
Amen

------
hypertexthero
:(

Keep Talking

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Talking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Talking)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKjwvvmEn2M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKjwvvmEn2M)

------
abvdasker
Stephen Hawking was a great physicist and an inspirational person. He'll be
missed dearly.

------
Insanity
May he rest in peace. As a kid, I loved reading "a brief history of time". To
me, both Hawking and RFP have been influential in discovering my passion for
the sciences. A great loss for sure, but at a beautiful age, especially
considering ALS.

------
amai
"And however difficult life may seem, there's always something you can do and
succeed at."

\-- Stephen Hawking

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrVVvXOIwQc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrVVvXOIwQc)

------
Abishek_Muthian
Though part of me is glad that he's now relieved from the pain of existence,
the other part wishes that he should've lived long enough for his conscious to
be uploaded into a perpetual medium; to find answers for his questions.

------
Cookingboy
His life had surely been a bright spot in the brief history of our times.

Rest in peace Mr.Hawking.

------
Sandorie
This is truly saddening for the scientific community and for the world in
general.

His life and work will continue to ripple the very fabric of our civilization.

And now that his task is done, He will take his place... amongst the legends
of the past.

------
scrollaway
The world will miss you, Stephen.

I'm going to rewatch Hawking tonight
([http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395571/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395571/)).

~~~
diimdeep
There is another one - The Theory of Everything (2014)
[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2980516/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2980516/)

~~~
scrollaway
Oh! That's the one I was initially thinking about actually. Maybe I'll rewatch
both. :)

------
sprice
While Stephen Hawking is someone who could not live forever, he is someone we
needed to.

RIP.

------
intopieces
If you have not seen it, the documentary “A Brief History of Time,” which is
not an adaptation of the book but interviews with Hawking and his colleagues,
and family, is excellent and worth your time.

------
icc97
A quote I got from my Harvest timer this morning:

> “The past, like the future, is indefinite and exists only as a spectrum of
> possibilities.”

> – Stephen Hawking

------
nbdev
Not one negative comment in this whole thread. Everyone is enamoured with
Hawking, huh? Ask the women in his life what they thought of him. Ask the
scientists, including Peter Higgs, who complained about his undue credibility
and attention given to him.

Disagree with me? Think I'm speaking negative about the dead? If you call
yourself inspired by a scientist, admiring a scientist, then you should seek
the truth. Emotion based on truth I can stand, but the outpouring in this
thread is ridiculous.

~~~
TickleSteve
Its generally understood that no one is perfect...

Pointing this out while discussing the death of possibly the most respected
scientist ever to a tech & science literate crowd is quite unnecessary.

RIP SH.

~~~
nbdev
You prove the necessity by trying to shoehorn this into "nobody's perfect."
This "tech & science literate" mob circle jerk enables bad science and bad
behavior. I doubt many here even know what Hawking really contributed. He
simply embodies some need to worship a disabled genius. No one wants to hear
it from me. I get it, but I thought just one person should speak up.

------
ulkesh
The world is now diminished by the loss of this brilliant mind. Though I take
comfort that he enriched humanity for all time.

------
fellellor
RIP Stephen Hawking. Thanks for fighting on for so long, even after reaching a
stage when most would expect one to give up.

------
terlacious
An inspiration, pioneer, visionary and now a legend. The world is less
brighter now that a star has left us on Earth.

------
zubairq
He was a true inspiration and showed how much we can be defined by our
thoughts, not just our physical presence

------
pknerd
His book, A Bried History of Time have made a huge impact among people like me
to fall in love with Physics.

------
ainiriand
I will always remember him. And my future kids will know who a great human he
was. Rest in peace Stephen.

------
ultrasounder
Respects and R.I.P. Will make my son read his Brief History of Time to start
his career in science.

------
joering2
Now he can travel anywhere he wants to in this or all other Universes,
instantenously. RIP big guy!

------
tpowell
What a life.

------
davesque
I feel like Stephen Hawking symbolized the exact way in which people should be
judged.

------
DennisAleynikov
Rest in peace, I never thought I'd see this day come, he almost seemed
immortal.

------
kakarot
RIP my biggest living scientific inspiration. May your weary soul rest in
peace.

------
mevile
I'm so sad. Rest in peace Mr Hawking. What brilliant mind we've lost.

------
aurelius12
I realize it's not cool to post value-less comments here, but....damn it.

------
AtomicOrbital
description of some of the work Stephen has left us
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsNjHaKwN5E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsNjHaKwN5E)

------
imesh
What does aging feel like for someone who can't feel their body?

------
kuon
Thanks for who you were and what you did. You will live on with us.

------
creep
Wow, that really sucks.

------
ghostpirate
The world will always remember him even after centuries

------
acutesoftware
RIP - he was a great inspiration to so many people

------
Invictus0
Wow, I was not prepared for this. Rest in peace.

------
vkat
He is going to remembered for a long time. RIP

------
hienyimba
One of the greatest men of our time. RIP Sir!

------
mattcaldwell
Wow, that hits hard... he will be missed.

------
TheAceOfHearts
A great loss for humanity.

Is this the fastest upvoted HN thread? I don't think I've ever seen a
discussion go up to +200 upvotes in under 10 minutes.

------
lucb1e
So long, and thanks for all the fish.

------
timlianov
R.I.P. Stephen Thank you for all

------
milkers
... on the day of PI, r.i.p S.H.

------
dustfinger
Goodbye.

------
_ZeD_
Rip

------
baby
This is a very sad day.

------
pankajdoharey
Sad day for Science. :(

------
amyl27
Rest In Peace Hawking

------
your-nanny
One stable genius died yesterday, RIP. The other can fall into a black hole.

------
By-Jokese
RIP Stephen Hawking.

------
pinkskip
a hero who fuelled my curiosity

------
neelkadia
RIP

------
abbiya
Pi Day

------
imjustice
RIP

------
nagarc
RIP

------
pizza
:(

------
artursapek
RIP

------
otalp
His last comment on the Internet is relevant to Hacker News.. someone asked
him about unemployment due to automation and the rise of technology[1]:

"If machines produce everything we need, the outcome will depend on how things
are distributed. Everyone can enjoy a life of luxurious leisure if the
machine-produced wealth is shared, or most people can end up miserably poor if
the machine-owners successfully lobby against wealth redistribution. So far,
the trend seems to be toward the second option, with technology driving ever-
increasing inequality."

[https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/3nyn5i/comment/cvs...](https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/3nyn5i/comment/cvsdmkv?st=JEQKSDNR&sh=dd00aa5a)

~~~
tim333
We have rising inequality and also about 137,000 less people miserably poor
each day. It's complicated. [https://www.cato.org/blog/what-newspapers-
reported-real-news...](https://www.cato.org/blog/what-newspapers-reported-
real-news-about-human-progress)

~~~
ekianjo
Inequality is not that bad when everyone is getting richer even at the very
bottom. Inequality speech is the tree hiding the forest.

~~~
coldtea
Only people have not been getting richer for a long while in some places,
including the US. If anything the opposite.

[https://hbr.org/2017/10/why-wages-arent-growing-in-
america](https://hbr.org/2017/10/why-wages-arent-growing-in-america)

That's difficult for those in upper middle class jobs to comprehend though,
but in less fortunate areas and slices of the population, it's everyday life.

~~~
ekianjo
The world is not limited to the US.

------
kposehn
This warrants the black bar.

He has changed everything for humanity time and again. We owe him the best
future we can possibly make.

~~~
davesque
Indeed. Black bar, please. He was a living symbol of the promise of science.

~~~
gear54rus
How about no bs black bar for anyone, even for a Genius like Hawking? Who
decides who's worth it? We've been over this already.

~~~
Bud
Um, the moderators decide. Cause that's their job.

~~~
gear54rus
They are not in any position to judge that.

Thankfully, the black bar is not there, perhaps previous discussions made them
reconsider.

~~~
thecatspaw
yes they absolutely are in a position to judge that.

------
applecrazy
Is it possible to get a "black bar" on HN to honor this god of physics, who
contributed so much to the literature and inspired many people, including
myself?

~~~
techdragon
He definitely feels like he warrants a black bar. Like maybe for a week... I
mean its Stephen Hawking.

~~~
applecrazy
I agree. I'm tearing up a bit looking at the news. He was always a legend in
my eyes.

------
bhnmmhmd
Like many others, my first reaction to this news was "Whaaat? WTF?"

He was a great man, and a true inspiration to all of us. May he rest in peace.
It's weird now, because I feel like the generation of physicists who were able
to get close to people and think about the really important problems, is
simply gone.

His death reminded me how much enthusiastic I was about the origin(s) of the
universe and such fundamental questions. But like many others, I couldn't find
my way in science and am now millions of miles away from that. Maybe everyone
has a path (destiny) and mine wasn't in science.

------
originalsimba
ouch... right in the feels.

------
c54
.

------
nukeop
Hawking's reputation will last as long after his death as that of Sagan,
Gould, Boaz, Lysenko, Morris or any of the other popular culture performing
cranks of this century. About ten minutes.

