“The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe. Why does the universe go to all the bother of existing?”
- 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
“The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe. Why does the universe go to all the bother of existing?”
Explanation
This quote touches on a profound philosophical dilemma that even the most rigorous scientific models cannot address: the question of existence itself. Stephen Hawking acknowledges that while science, particularly physics, can provide detailed explanations about how the universe functions — through mathematical models and laws of nature — it does not explain why the universe exists in the first place. This reflects the limits of science in answering existential or metaphysical questions, which are traditionally the domain of philosophy and theology.
Hawking’s question — “Why does the universe go to all the bother of existing?” — challenges the assumption that the universe’s existence is self-evident or inevitable. It brings attention to the purpose or meaning of the universe’s existence, something that science cannot definitively answer. While Hawking often focused on scientific exploration and theories like the Big Bang and cosmic inflation to explain the “how” of the universe’s origins, he also recognized that the “why” is a much more elusive question. This ties into a broader debate in cosmology and philosophy about whether the universe exists as a product of chance, necessity, or perhaps even some deeper, unknown reason.
In modern times, this quote resonates with discussions on the limits of scientific inquiry. Despite the success of theoretical physics in explaining the mechanisms of the universe, the existential questions about the purpose of existence continue to challenge humanity. This question is part of the broader search for meaning in a universe governed by deterministic laws — a search that may never be fully answered by science alone.
