Stephen Hawking

Stephen William Hawking (1942 – 2018) was an English theoretical physicist, mathematician, cosmologist, author and futurist. He was widely known for his work and theories in quantum mechanics and the prediction that black holes emit radiation, now called Hawking radiation, and the black hole information paradox. His book A Brief History of Time was immensely popular and talked about the moments after the Big Bang and cosmological inflation. He helped launch Breakthrough Initiatives in an effort to search for extraterrestrial life.

Futurism views

 * Expressed concern that life on Earth is at risk from a sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, global warming, or an "asteroid collision" to be the biggest threat to the planet. Such a planet-wide disaster need not result in human extinction if the human race were to be able to colonize additional planets before the disaster. Hawking viewed spaceflight and the colonization of space as necessary for the future of humanity, a viewpoint shared with Elon Musk.


 * Given the vastness of the universe, aliens likely exist, but that contact with them should be avoided. He warned that aliens might pillage Earth for resources.


 * He warned that super-intelligent artificial intelligence could be pivotal in steering humanity's fate, stating that success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history and might also be the last, unless we learn how to avoid the risks.
 * Argued that we should be more frightened of capitalism exacerbating economic inequality than robots.


 * Concerned about the future emergence of a race of "superhumans" that would be able to design their own evolution and, as well, argued that computer viruses in today's world should be considered a new form of life

In 1988, Hawking, Arthur C. Clarke and Carl Sagan were interviewed in God, the Universe and Everything Else. They discussed the Big Bang theory, God and the possibility of extraterrestrial life.