“If we want to travel into the future, we just need to go fast. Really fast. And I think the only way we’re ever likely to do that is by going into space.”
- January 8, 1942 – March 14, 2018
- British
- Theoretical physicist, science writer
- Announced the black hole singularity theorem and Hawking radiation, and contributed to the popularization of science with his book “Talking about the Universe”
Quote
“If we want to travel into the future, we just need to go fast. Really fast. And I think the only way we’re ever likely to do that is by going into space.”
Explanation
This quote touches on Stephen Hawking’s interest in time travel and the relationship between speed and the passage of time. According to the theory of special relativity, proposed by Albert Einstein, time is not an absolute, unchanging entity. Instead, it is relative to the observer’s motion. Specifically, the faster we move, the slower time passes for us relative to someone who is not moving as quickly. This phenomenon is known as time dilation.
Hawking’s suggestion that the way to “travel into the future” is to go fast reflects this scientific principle. If we could travel at near the speed of light, time would pass much more slowly for us compared to people who remain on Earth, effectively allowing us to travel into the future. This concept has been explored in both science fiction and real scientific theory. However, achieving such speeds is currently beyond our technological capabilities. The only place where we could plausibly achieve these speeds is in space, where the absence of atmosphere and friction could allow spacecraft to reach high velocities.
Hawking’s statement also draws attention to the potential of space exploration not just for exploring other planets and stars, but as a means of advancing our understanding of time and the nature of the universe. The idea of interstellar travel and the possibility of reaching speeds where time dilation would become noticeable is still theoretical, but it underscores the dramatic ways in which our understanding of physics could eventually lead to the kind of technological breakthroughs that could allow us to explore time itself. Just as the space race of the 20th century revolutionized our technology and understanding of space, Hawking suggests that future breakthroughs in space travel might unlock the mysteries of time—potentially allowing us to travel far into the future.
