Thread: Stephen Hawking hospitalized, reported very ill

Originally Posted by Bruno

The only thing that sets him apart from the rest is the fact that he is / was able to write books that were best seller hits with the non scientists.

Although not an achievement that should set him apart from his peers in a scientific sense, I do think the determination he has shown to continue to work despite his handicap is another valid reason to set him apart. As of a few minutes ago, the BBC reports that he should recover.

Originally Posted by welshwizard

Although not an achievement that should set him apart from his peers in a scientific sense, I do think the determination he has shown to continue to work despite his handicap is another valid reason to set him apart. As of a few minutes ago, the BBC reports that he should recover.

Granted. That is one hell of an achievement.

Professor Hawking is a true Super Hero and has been an idol of mine for many years. His work on black hole radiation and virtual particles has affected our view of the universe as profoundly as Einstein's work on relativity. When I first read the news I was quite dismayed because I knew this could spell the end for him very quickly. I'm very glad to hear he's recovering and hope he enjoys better health.

X

What do you guys see as his biggest contribution to science? (Let's ignore his storytelling capabilities for the moment)

I think that his work is being heavily discounted in this thread.

Originally Posted by sparq

I think that his work is being heavily discounted in this thread.

I didn't realize this thread has anything at all to do with "his work". I thought it was simply about his health.

I don't think his work is being discounted. All I see is people discussing the difference between his methods and those of other scientists. He is the rock star of his field. Every field needs one to make the public aware of the importance and relevance of their field. The fact that he is brilliant just makes it that much more impressive.

I should have said "scientific work". While his education of the great unwashed deserves recognition too, his contribution to theoretical physics is invaluable.

I wish him strong health and I am hoping for some more exciting science from this smart chap!

Originally Posted by sparq

What do you guys see as his biggest contribution to science? (Let's ignore his storytelling capabilities for the moment)

I think that his work is being heavily discounted in this thread.

That was certainly not my intention. I also acknowledged that the man is quite brilliant. But because of his superstar status, many people think that he is the most scientifically valuable person of the last n decades.

Personally I rate Ed Witten higher. But regardless of that: Roger Penrose, Ed Witten, Kip Thorne, Michio Kaku, Freeman Dyson, Murray Gell-mann, Gerard 't Hoofd, ... and I am probably forgetting a number of physicists which are in the same league as Hawking and of which I read at least one book or publication.

Just because he is the superstar does not mean that he automatically contributed most to the science.

But I digress.

Imo his most interesting work was in hawking decay in an atom core on one side of the spectrum, and the no-hair theory on the other side of the spectrum. I also liked his bubble theory writings in one of his latest books.

He has written about a large number of things, and I don't understand most of it. But the things I mentioned (decay and no hair) are understandable enough that I can grasp them, even if the math is completely beyond me.

By the time I finished my masters in electronics, I considered going for a masters in theoretical physics. But by then I got offered a contract at the placed where I made my thesis, and the job was great.
I also looked at the curriculum, and came to the conclusion that the math required was an order of magnitude more difficult than what I'd already gone through, and that it would probably be beyond my reach to graduate, let alone be brilliant enough to get a phd in qc and land one of the really interesting jobs.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Personally I rate Ed Witten higher. But regardless of that: Roger Penrose, Ed Witten, Kip Thorne, Michio Kaku, Freeman Dyson, Murray Gell-mann, Gerard 't Hoofd, ... and I am probably forgetting a number of physicists which are in the same league as Hawking and of which I read at least one book or publication.

what, not feynman?
Richard Feynman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

anyhow, i'm glad he's recovering, they've been holding a vigil of sorts for him over on /. and folks have been discussing his contributions to the world of science. i'm going to have to take the plunge and say the best thing he did to make science accessible to the masses was have the guts to parody himself (repeatedly) on Futurama.