Transform our perception of the universe we must.

[...we must] transform our perception of the universe

(Dr Stephen Hawking, 1942-2018)

Whatever he meant with this sentence, uttered, once more, as he was publicly announcing the opening of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, it is fairly clear that with a world in its current state... we most definitely could do with a transformation of our perceptions.

 

Stephen Hawking suffered in many ways throughout his life, but the motor neurone disease he experienced since age 21 was not high on this list. He repeatedly stated that he was happier towards the end of his life than he had ever been, including the time previous to the onset of his medical condition.

A complicated man, who most probably suffered mild -and not-so-mild- abuse at the hands of his nurse and second wife, Stephen Hawking had one most striking message, as an atheist physicist: we must transform our perception of the universe.

...The famous showbiz sentence "perception is all when it comes to launching films" could be compressed into "perception is all when it comes to the arts", and even further into, simply, "perception is all" without much of an ontological problem taking place. We all obviously perceive -and privately interpret- the world as information.

in-form-ation / in-formation / ...pattern-like

We (aim to) perceive -make sense out of- form. ...Some classic philosophers have gone further and simply put it that "we are pure perception". 

'A Brief History Of Time', by Hawking, did, amongst other things, place this 'perception' concept within a scientific context.

Stephen Hawking's last words from his final speech were "my motto is: there are no boundaries"

...And one can almost believe these very words, however challenging, when you look at one of Dr Hawking's last public contributions, below.

The man must have had a phenomenal sense of humour, to have agreed to appear on such narrative. I still remember the shock / laughter I personally experienced once the video picked up its pace, and it became clear just how much of an accomplice Dr Hawking must have been to the whole plot, throughout its ideation. ...Humour without boundaries.

(By the way, no animals were hurt during the making of the video above, as can be seen here)

This MojoTv compilation of Dr Hawking's cameos in pop culture is an evident sign of a genius sense of humour:

Below -not for the first time on this blog- Hawking opens the London 2012 paralympics by way of spoken prelude to Orbital's "Where is it going?", choosing to stay onstage throughout the execution of Orbital's uptempo, electronic-dance-music anthem, medley-ed with Ian Dury's british classic 'Spasticus Autisticus'... just for good measure.

 The complexity of Hawking's personal story is best shown on the biographical movie 'The Theory Of Everything' (2014), a much applauded effort by the British Film Industry (BFI) which follows him throughout his Cambridge University years, his lovelife, and his scientific endeavours. 

As a short resumé of his life, the short BBC documentary piece, below, is a brief (3 mins) story on his brief history of time, and on the man himself.

 

No boundaries then, Dr Hawking, and so long.

 

Stephen William Hawking CH CBE FRS FRSA (8 January 1942 – 14 March 2018) was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author, and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge. His scientific works included a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems in the framework of general relativity and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation. Hawking was the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. He was a vigorous supporter of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.

Hawking was an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. In 2002, Hawking was ranked number 25 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. He was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009 and achieved commercial success with works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general. His book A Brief History of Time appeared on the British Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.

Hawking had a rare early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis "ALS" or Lou Gehrig's disease) that gradually paralysed him over the decades. Even after the loss of his speech, he was still able to communicate through a speech-generating device, initially through use of a hand-held switch, and eventually by using a single cheek muscle. He died on 14 March 2018 at the age of 76.