“My father was a research scientist in tropical medicine, so I always assumed I would be a scientist, too. I felt that medicine was too vague and inexact, so I chose physics.”
- 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
“My father was a research scientist in tropical medicine, so I always assumed I would be a scientist, too. I felt that medicine was too vague and inexact, so I chose physics.”
Explanation
In this quote, Stephen Hawking reflects on his early influences and his path to becoming a scientist. His father, a research scientist in tropical medicine, likely played a significant role in shaping Hawking’s initial understanding of science and his eventual decision to pursue a career in the field. Growing up in an environment where scientific research was a prominent part of daily life, Hawking probably felt a natural pull toward science as his own calling. However, his decision to move away from medicine and into the more abstract realm of physics was based on his perception of medicine as a field that was too vague and imprecise compared to the more rigorous and predictable nature of physics.
Physics, in Hawking’s view, represented a field where answers could be found through mathematical models, empirical evidence, and a deep understanding of the laws of nature. In contrast, he saw medicine—while crucial and impactful—as a discipline that involved more uncertainty and complexity in terms of understanding the human body and the variability of diseases. This idea reflects Hawking’s own preference for theoretical physics, a field where he could address fundamental questions about the nature of time, the structure of the universe, and the origins of reality.
Hawking’s choice to pursue physics also speaks to his broader philosophy about the nature of scientific exploration. While medicine is certainly an important and valuable discipline, Hawking’s passion was always focused on understanding the fundamental principles of how the universe works, which he found most compelling in the domain of physics. His work, from the nature of black holes to his contributions to cosmology, was grounded in the belief that the universe operates according to predictable laws that can be understood through science—principles that Hawking himself exemplified in his groundbreaking research.
