14 DAY TRIAL // Famed physicist Stephen Hawking apparently manages to get spirit all riled up with every public statement he makes, but the latest one was bound to cause a stir. In a recent interview with The Guardian, he argued that there is no heaven after death.
During the interview, he argued that every human should strive to make the most of the time he or she has on this planet, and not waste any moment thinking about the rewards they will get after they die.
He also explained that there is a very clear distinction between using the concept of God as a metaphor and actually believing in an invisible hand that guides the ultimate fate of the Universe.
For example, the physicist explained, developing a unified theory of everything, as Albert Einstein liked to call it, would mean that we can account for the behavior of every particle and force in the Universe. It would also mean that we know the mind of God.
“I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first,” Hawking told The Guardian.
“I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark,” he explained.
In his book “The Grand Design” (Bantam 2010), Hawking argued that there is no conceivable need for God to exist in order for the Universe to have appeared. This view drew heavy criticism from religious leaders, as expected.
However, the theoretical physicists' thoughts are echoed by the majority of non-religious people, and for solid scientific reasons. Still, psychologists believe, the fact that Stephen Hawking said the things he did in the new interview will not make a difference.
They explain that people who are keen on believing the Scripture is the true word of God will do so regardless of the evidence they are presented with. Within lies the fallacy of all religions and at the same time the main reasons why Creationism, for example, cannot be considered a theory.
An idea that does not accept any evidence that negates it is not a theory. As such, is highly unlikely that Hawking's words will sway anyone in any direction. However, perhaps they will get some religious people thinking about the true justification of their faith, Space reports.
But psychologists say that many are simply too afraid to admit this reality, and namely that life is hard and that in the end you die. The thought of an afterlife – asides from being a uniquely-human construct that demonstrates our will to live – is a mere comfort that people take in hopes of avoiding this.