“Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.”
- 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
“Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.”
Explanation
In this statement, Stephen Hawking articulates a profound idea from his work on cosmology and the origins of the universe, which ties directly into his broader views on physics and the nature of existence. The reference to gravity as a fundamental law is central here. Gravity, as one of the four fundamental forces of nature, plays a crucial role in the formation and behavior of the universe. Hawking’s assertion that “the universe can and will create itself from nothing” reflects his belief that the laws of physics, especially those governing quantum mechanics and general relativity, allow the universe to emerge without the need for a divine creator or external influence.
This view is tied to his work on the Big Bang theory and the concept of imaginary time, which he explored in his seminal book A Brief History of Time. According to Hawking, if the universe is governed by laws such as gravity, and given the nature of quantum fluctuations, the universe could arise spontaneously from a state of nothingness. This is a key concept in modern cosmology, which suggests that the universe did not require an external cause to exist, but could have emerged naturally from a quantum state, as the laws of physics allow for the creation of universes without the need for a pre-existing creator.
Hawking’s view challenges traditional metaphysical or theological explanations of the universe’s creation. By emphasizing that the laws of physics, such as gravity, can cause the universe to create itself, he proposes that the universe is a self-sustaining, self-originating system. This idea aligns with Hawking’s later work in M-theory and quantum gravity, where he suggested that the universe could have come into being from a quantum fluctuation, much like how particles can spontaneously appear and disappear at the quantum level.
In modern contexts, Hawking’s ideas offer a revolutionary scientific explanation for the origins of the universe. The statement emphasizes a naturalistic view of creation, where physical laws, such as gravity, govern the entire process of the universe’s formation. While this explanation does not preclude philosophical or theological debates about the meaning or purpose of the universe, it positions science as providing a robust framework to explain how the cosmos came into existence, based purely on the laws of physics. Hawking’s assertion that the universe can create itself from nothing underscores the profound implications of modern physics, where the boundaries between philosophy, theology, and science are increasingly being reexamined in light of new discoveries.
