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Stephen Hawking has died

bbc.com

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Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#301

Post by jcadam »

whatshisface wrote: post #279
simonh wrote: post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would like to live indefinitely, but I do not want to. The cost to human society and our natural resources of a species of immortals is too much. I want human society to include births, children, growing up, dating, marriage and raising families. I want my children and our species generally to have a dynamic, continuously renewing culture. I just don’t see how those things are compatible with immortality. Just don’…

If you're immortal, then the "climb on a starship for 1000 years" deal starts looking a lot better. That would open up a lot of new resources to turn in to living people with lives to experience. (P.S. we're not anywhere near close to using our current resources completely or efficiently, so please stick around and help us get a little closer!)

Your starship would have to be something similar to Rama[1] for me to even consider it. A thousand years on anything similar to an upscaled contemporary spacecraft sounds like torture.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendezvous_with_Rama

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#302

Post by nbdev »

isostatic wrote: post #293
nbdev wrote: post #261

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. Emot…

An important part of science is exposing it to the public. Concepts about the big bang aren't really relatable, which means little coverage, little funding, and the next generation of would-be scientists not being enthused by the possibilities. Hawking brought those concepts to the masses, which is a very important goal. Hawking, in a large part due to his success in the face of his disability, attracted media attent…

Someone like Harvey Weinstein has brought much inspiration and joy to the world too. I'm not arguing against the positive so much as just mentioning some of the ugly negatives.

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#303

Post by jwdunne »

DanBC wrote: post #294
jwdunne wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems his spent his final days fighting her legacy - a backdoor attempt at privatisation in the NHS by her party. Thatcher should never be mentioned in a thread dedicated to his legacy. He wouldn't have got this far if she had her way.

There's nothing back door about it. It's an open and transparent defunding of the NHS to push a privatisation agenda. Privatisation already exists within the NHS, and the programme is already well under way.

I meant with regards to ACOs. The public have no idea what they are. They sound public.

Stephen Hawking was fighting the government on this in court when he died. I'm guessing you know that.

As for the past 8 years, it's obvious what the Tories are trying to do. Privatisation is the 'perfect solution' when public approval for the NHS hits the floor.

No other way for them to do it. Political suicide. Bastards.

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#304

Post by Dude2023 »

kunai wrote: post #276
drawkbox wrote: post #268

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 plan…

> People like Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan, Nikola Tesla and even Elon Musk One of these is certainly not like the others.

Musk is more like Thomas Edison.

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#305

Post by throwaway-hn123 »

gear54rus wrote: post #170
Bud wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

They are not in any position to judge that. Thankfully, the black bar is not there, perhaps previous discussions made them reconsider.

Emotionally stunted asshole working for a shit host.

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#306

Post by latexr »

mikekchar wrote: post #210
fhayde wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think a good way to say it might be: I'm not afraid of death, I'm afraid of not existing.

I do not fear non-existence. For most of the history of the universe, I did not exist. I have considerable experience with that. Dying appears to be unpleasant, though.

In the context of your existing self, non-existing before and after existing are quite different thoughts.

The first one is like you don’t remember it, like you don’t remember a lot in your life that you know happened. With the second one you’ll never have the experience of feeling you don’t remember it and you know that.

It’s akin to the difference between one day you realising you forgot most of your life, and you now discovering you have Alzheimer’s and will never again hold a moment in memory. To your present self the former is not scary, but the latter is.

> For most of the history of the universe, I did not exist. I have considerable experience with that.

On the contrary, you have zero experience with not existing because experience implies an impression was made, even if you don’t consciously realise it. Not existing has made (and will make) no difference to you whatsoever, and as such provides no experience, preparation, or comfort.

It is the thought of not existing that makes a difference. It won’t by the time I don’t exist, but it does now.

---

As a side note, if someone can recommend some good philosophy books on this, I’d appreciate it. I thought the branch that studies it might’ve been ontology, but I’ve read a bit of Sartre’s Being and Nothingness and realised what he’s talking about it not exactly what I’m looking for.

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#307

Post by ealhad »

yesbabyyes wrote: post #232
slavik81 wrote: post #79

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…

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.

https://tauday.com/tau-manifesto

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#308

Post by 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.

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#309

Post by rdlecler1 »

simonh wrote: post #249
jsolson wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. I would like to attribute my desire to live "forever", at least to some extent, to cosmic perspective. One day the universe might make me bored, but today is not that day, and I suspect tomorrow isn't either. I don't ever expect that day to come, but if I thought it was near I'd be very afraid indeed.

I would like to live indefinitely, but I do not want to. The cost to human society and our natural resources of a species of immortals is too much. I want human society to include births, children, growing up, dating, marriage and raising families. I want my children and our species generally to have a dynamic, continuously renewing culture. I just don’t see how those things are compatible with immortality. Just don’…

It would be compatible if we left the earth.

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#310

Post by justinclift »

jcadam wrote: post #301
whatshisface wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're immortal, then the "climb on a starship for 1000 years" deal starts looking a lot better. That would open up a lot of new resources to turn in to living people with lives to experience. (P.S. we're not anywhere near close to using our current resources completely or efficiently, so please stick around and help us get a little closer!)

Your starship would have to be something similar to Rama[1] for me to even consider it. A thousand years on anything similar to an upscaled contemporary spacecraft sounds like torture. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendezvous_with_Rama

Well, there's the "suspended animation" possibility thing too.

eg "Wake me up when we get there, or if anything interesting/important comes up on the way."

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