Understanding the everyday world of Stephen Hawking

My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus,” remarked renowned physicist Stephen Hawking. That bonus period expired on Wednesday. Within that brief period, Hawking had the patience and zealousness to communicate intricate scientific matters to the public in simple language. Even as he set out to knowing the mysteries of the Universe, he was equally interested in discussing religion, philosophy, extraterrestrial life and the impact of technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI). He stood on the shoulders of the giants and he has become one for upcoming generations.

Stephen Hawking was born in 1942 at the heights of World War II when England was facing the onslaught of Nazi Germany. Ironically, his birthday was also the 300th death anniversary of noted astronomer Galileo Galilei, known for his telescopic observations of our solar system and promoting scientific reasoning. While at Cambridge, Hawking held a post that was once occupied by Issac Newton, whose scientific principles are the foundation of modern space age. Finally, Hawking’s work in cosmology, particularly black holes, has brought together quantum mechanics and Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

Hawking continued his research on the emissions and information preservation inside black holes, leading to a better understanding of this astronomical phenomenon. He had won the prestigious Wolf Prize in Physics, along with his fellow scientist Roger Penrose, a prize that has recognised future Nobel Prize winners. Through his work, Hawking established that the origin and evolution of the Universe was based on a set of laws and believed that search for the ultimate laws of nature will soon be concluded — a theory of everything shall evolve.

He believed that ‘communication’ had a significant role to play in humanity’s best achievements. His book A Brief History of Time is scintillating, allowing the lay person to grasp complex scientific terms and phenomena. More than 10 million copies were sold. It emerged as “the most popular book never read”. However, speaking was not easy for him. Hawking was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis that gradually impairs the patient’s physical activity. Moreover, he lost the ability to speak after contracting pneumonia in 1985 as surgeons cut a hole in his neck for placing a pipe allowing him to breathe. As a result, he was confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life.

Fortunately, technology came to rescue. Intel Corporation provided him with assistive technology, helping him select words and formulate sentences on a wheelchair attached screen by moving his cheek while an attached voice synthesizer gave him speech. Hawking was not deterred by his disability. He remarked that his condition was merely physical, not psychological, benefiting him to pursue science, which is an activity of the mind. This demonstrated his positive attitude. As a result, he was outspoken on the political and social attitudes of people, leading to a chaotic world with deteriorating climate. Hawking criticised Brexit as shortsighted and the environmental policy affected by the Trump administration.

Hawking was in a better position to understand the adverse consequences of technologies and advanced intelligence. He believed nuclear weapons were a grave danger to humanity. However, as computers advanced, they pervaded his thinking and imagination. He likened the brain to a computer, which stops working when components fail, his way of talking about death. Advanced intelligence forms such as AI or extraterrestrials spooked him. Hawking thought that it was rational to assume intelligent life existing elsewhere but cautioned people from coming into contact with it. He compared the arrival of extraterrestrials on Earth to the arrival of Europeans in Americas, which did not bode well for the Native Americans even though both races belong to the same species (Homo sapiens, as against aliens who will be of different species). “I think we should keep our heads low” was his suggestion. But the old human spirit to know and explore dies hard. Hawking was no exception as he joined Breakthrough Initiatives, which is funded by a Russian businessman and entrepreneur to probe for intelligent life in the cosmos as well as communicating with it.

Another intelligence Hawking was concerned about was AI. Still in its developmental phase, humans are yet to understand the full potential of it. However, the pace of AI development is accelerating with governments and businesses trying to harness its potential for various tasks. Hawking joined the likes of Elon Musk, signing an open letter on AI calling for guidelines and verification procedures to ensure that this technology does not harm humans (lethal autonomous weapons) or develop into superintelligence that may threaten humanity as a whole. He concluded that space colonisation was the only hope for humanity to survive from these dangers, majority of which were of its own making. He also intended to experience space travel himself by taking a ride on Virgin Galactic’s spaceship, a wish that alas was never fulfilled. Stephen Hawking’s life, achievements and initiatives do not confine him to cosmology alone, but are a source of inspiration, warning and suggestions for maintaining harmony on Earth.  He will be missed.

The author is a Junior Fellow in the Nuclear and Space Policy Initiative of the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.