On 15 Sep 2010, at 19:51, Steven Peterson <peterson.st...@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi John, Horse, Marsha, I hesitate to conclude that Hawking is a moron since there is so much evidence to the contrary. What I hope he means by "philosophy is dead" is that philosophy as Plato's project of getting beyond appearances to get us in touch with reality as it really is has run its course and outlived its usefulness. If so, I think Pirsig and any pragmatist would agree. On the other hand, what I suspect he does mean is that science has proven itself to be the one true way of getting us in touch with reality as it really is. I suspect that he thinks scientific descriptions have some privileged status over other sorts of descriptions. ...
I think your analysis is right on, Steve. Leonard Mlodinow, a science journalist who knows Hawkin has published a best-selling book on his theories of reality called "The Grand Design." I heard him interviewed on Coast-to-Coast AM last night and thought you might like to review this summary of the discussion prepared by the show's host George Noory.
"Caltech physicist Leonard Mlodinow discussed his current work with Hawking on the grand design of the universe and two central questions-- where does the universe come from, and why are the laws of nature what they are? Hawking's theories and the latest research in physics were used to answer those questions. While the conditions for life are just right on Earth, Mlodinow noted that we're looking backwards at the situation-- whatever conditions it took for us to get here, have already happened.
"The notion of the multiverse (many universes each with their own physical laws) is a consequence of Hawking's theory of cosmology, said Mlodinow. These various universes arose from nothing, but we now understand from quantum theory that the state of nothingness is actually very unstable, and that "things are always coming and going from nothingness," he explained. Hawking's picture of the universe incorporates three theories:
". A 'no boundary' condition in which time becomes a dimension that looks like space. . M theory-- an extension of string theory dealing with forces like gravity. . Top Down Cosmology-- a new quantum approach that suggests the cosmos has many different simultaneous histories.
"Mlodinow also reviewed the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe, and the search at the Large Hadron Collider for the theoretical Higgs boson particle. Interestingly, Hawking has predicted that the Higgs particle will not be found."
For all his alleged brilliance, Hawkin apparently believes the universe (or "multiverse") was created from nothing, despite its 'Grand Design'. When Mlodinow was asked several times if he (and Hawkin) believed there was a Creator of the Grand Design, he dismissed the question as "one way of thinking," for the unsophisticated. His reaction was the same when asked if he thought life had any purpose.
In short, the Hawkin-Mlodinow team is promoting the view that conscious life and the ordered physical universe are mere happenstances that arose from the chaos of nothingness. They are unwilling to even speculate on a principle to explain existential reality. For the life of me, I can't fathom a writer choosing the title "The Grand Design" if he doesn't acknowledge a Designer. (But perhaps the Pirsigians here view it differently.)
Anyway, it provided a fascinating look into the scientific mindset. Best regards, Ham Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org/md/archives.html
