It is telling that a famous scientist accepts that there are aliens on the basis of the odds, whereas he embraces the idea that life originates from matter despite the odds against it. But maybe I am missing something.
It is telling that a famous scientist accepts that there are aliens on the basis of the odds, whereas he embraces the idea that life originates from matter despite the odds against it. But maybe I am missing something.
I think Hawking is more agnostic than atheistic and in his book,"Brief history of Time", he says that "If God exists, he plays dice in a way we cannot see" in a an apparent rebuttal to Einstein's statement, "God does not play dice"( the statement came in wake of non-determinism in quantum mechanics that did not please Einstein). I think most scientists who are objective must say that they can't say anything for sure about God, especially if God is transcendent to material reality. In fact, even about material nature we know only some things with high probability and others with less certainty.
I was surprised and a little confused by the thread's title. He says that it's rational to consider that there may be aliens, not necessarily that they're rational. He also may be projecting human qualities on the intelligent aliens, comparing them to exploitative European explorers. It's an interesting, tantalizing tidbit, I suppose, for Hawking fans. Otherwise, there's not much in the article.
I was surprised and a little confused by the thread's title. He says that it's rational to consider that there may be aliens, not necessarily that they're rational. He also may be projecting human qualities on the intelligent aliens, comparing them to exploitative European explorers. It's an interesting, tantalizing tidbit, I suppose, for Hawking fans. Otherwise, there's not much in the article.
yes I should have said believing in existence of aliens in not irrational. Anyway yes perhaps there is not much in the article apart from just knowing how scientists can differ on their opinion of rational and irrational.