“Most sets of values would give rise to universes that, although they might be very beautiful, would contain no one able to wonder at that beauty.”
- 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
“Most sets of values would give rise to universes that, although they might be very beautiful, would contain no one able to wonder at that beauty.”
Explanation
In this thought-provoking quote, Stephen Hawking reflects on the idea that the fundamental constants and laws that govern our universe are deeply tied to the existence of conscious beings, like humans, who can perceive and appreciate the beauty of the cosmos. The values and parameters that define our universe—the strength of gravity, the speed of light, the charge of the electron—are finely tuned in such a way that they allow for the formation of stars, the evolution of galaxies, and ultimately the emergence of life and consciousness.
Hawking’s observation suggests that while there may be countless other possible universes with different sets of physical constants, many of these would not give rise to anything capable of observing or contemplating their own beauty. This is a direct nod to the anthropic principle, which posits that the universe is the way it is because if it were any different, conscious life capable of asking questions about the universe would not exist to observe it.
This line underscores the interplay between physics and philosophy: even if the laws of nature are universally beautiful, they are not beautiful in the human sense unless there is an observer capable of perceiving that beauty. The quote hints at the unique nature of our existence and why we are compelled to ask why the universe is the way it is. It also touches on the fine-tuning argument, which suggests that the constants of nature are set in such a way that they allow for the emergence of life—and thus, life that can marvel at the universe and ponder its existence. In this context, beauty is not just an aesthetic experience but a product of the universe’s remarkable compatibility with the emergence of consciousness.
