“Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist.”
Stephen Hawking’s story is a paradox: he does not believe in miracles, but at age 72 doctors said he was one, exceeding the life expectancy of a person with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The question about creation has tormented man since time immemorial, and traditionally people have attributed it to a divine action. Today, science has refined the Big Bang theory and the big explosion that gave rise to the universe is more than confirmed.
Thanks to the latest advances it is possible to understand exactly what happened microseconds later that is, how galaxies and planets formed. But there is still no definitive answer about what happened before, what triggered that outbreak and everything exists.
For centuries scientists and philosophers have tried to unravel these complex questions. British cosmologist Stephen Hawking is one of the most dedicated minds on the subject. As a guest of honor of the Starmus astrophysics festival on the island of Tenerife, his words caused controversy by reaffirming without contemplation that God does not exist.
Furthermore, in “The Grand Design”, which was co-written with American physicist Leonard Mlodinow, Hawking says according to a new series of theories, it is superfluous to think of a creator of the universe.
“The universe began with the Big Bang, which simply followed the inevitable law of physics,” Hawking writes. “Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist.
The universe didn’t need a God to begin; it was quite capable of launching its existence on its own,” says renowned physicist Stephen Hawking explains in his book, The Grand Design. In today’s world, where new theories emerge reapply, physicists are constantly adapting new ideologies and theories to new discoveries in their respective fields.
“…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, A Brief History of Time
“The question is: is the way the universe began chosen by God for reasons we can’t understand or was it determined by a law of science? I believe the second,” he explained. “If you like, you can call the laws of science ‘God,’ but it wouldn’t be a personal God that you could meet, and ask questions.”