One of the world’s better-known atheists is having his ashes interred at one of the world’s great churches, Westminster Abbey. It appears science has replaced God in some religious circles.
Stephen Hawking, theoretic physicist and cosmologist literally became the Oracle at Cambridge – he spoke through a voice generator due to his paralytic condition that confined him to a wheelchair. Professor Hawking described how his voice synthesizer worked to produce his spellbinding machine-like voice.
His proclamations and prophetic utterances were like those of the Oracle at Delphi the Greeks consulted for answers to important questions of their day. The oracle was a sunken place in a temple floor where a female visionary was placed in a chair on a tripod over the pit. Escaping gases from the pit threw her into a trance and altered her voice as she spoke, much like someone breathing helium and then speaking.
Likewise, it was Hawking’s voice synthesizer that entranced audiences and conferred high intellect upon his utterances. He held the post of Lucasian Professor at Cambridge, the same chair held by Isaac Newton in 1663.
How Cambridge University will replace this icon is unknown but it will likely use video and audio technology to “bring him back to life again.”
Among Hawking’s predictions:
- Hawking once predicted that the earth would turn into a giant ball of fire by the year 2600 and humans would need to colonize another planet or face extinction.
- He also claimed that the advent of artificial intelligence could be the “worst event in the history of our civilization.”
- He said humanity would not survive another 1000 years.
- When speaking to the Radio Timesbefore his BBC Reith Lecture, Professor Hawking stated, “We face…