Learning from Stephen Hawking

Last week when Dr Stephen Hawking died, I was ranting about my lack of capacity to appreciate his contributions to Science and wondered why everybody was going so much gaga over him. A friend of mine asked me to read his book, 'A Brief History of time'. So, in the spirit of forming an informed opinion, I listened to the entire recording of the book on YouTube. All of 5 hours - spread across many days. And I should confess, even after such a laborious effort, his concepts are still too dense, and too far removed from my immediate level of understanding. But I gleaned a few learnings: i) We are infinitesimally insignificant in the larger cosmos of things. "That we live on a minor planet of a very average star". But that is what the Bible too said. In Tamil, it is so vividly captured in Psalm 8 verses 3 and 4. "உமது விரல்களின் கிரியையாகிய உம்முடைய வானங்களையும், நீர் ஸ்தாபித்த சந்திரனையும், நட்சத்திரங்களையும் நான் பார்க்கும்போது, மனுஷனை நீர் நினைக்கிறதற்கும், மனுஷகுமாரனை நீர் விசாரிக்கிறதற்கும் அவன் எம்மாத்திரம் என்கிறேன்". People like Hawking had the luxury of a Hubble telescope and studies from expensive Space programmes to arrive at this. David, the author of this Psalm was a shepherd boy with a lyre and a sling. ii) Science, however advanced, has repeatedly changed its narrative over the past few hundred years. What was celebrated a few years ago is now denounced with ridicule. And that, very aspect of the scientific temper is appreciated as the virtue of the empirical learning process. As a result what we today believe as 'scientific truth' could tomorrow be decimated as ancient naivety. Consequently, if we were to believe that Science has provided all the answers or if it's current answers are true, we only need to go as far as the various views on the black holes and how they have been changing constantly, sometimes one against the other. iii) Just because a Scientist has said something, it doesn't make it the truth. They are constantly researching and we never know at which point, they have finally arrived at the truth. There is hardly anything called 'independent' research and probably that gives away what I mean 😉. iv) That Stephen Hawking continued his research and talks and talk shows, appearances in sitcoms and family life with three children, in spite of his extremely debilitating condition is a universe of inspiration in and by itself. v) Lastly, this whole process has taught me a new appreciation for the word called 'Humility'. There is still a lot of things unknown. St. Paul says "Now, I know in part (like the reflection in a mirror!!). Then, I shall know fully". This is exactly true about what our brightest minds know about the origin of Universe and where it is heading towards. Till then, I think we should learn to respect each others' opinion with humility. To the prospect that even if the person sitting before me has a diagonally opposite opinion to mine, there is always a possibility that s/he could be true.