“The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be divinely inspired.”
- 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 whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be divinely inspired.”
Explanation
In this quote, Stephen Hawking reflects on the evolution of scientific thought and its understanding of the universe. Historically, science has progressed through a gradual realization that natural events and phenomena are not random or chaotic but follow an underlying order or set of laws. This order is what scientists strive to uncover, whether in the form of mathematical equations, physical laws, or patterns in nature. For Hawking, this pursuit of understanding reflects the core of science itself—the search for the rules that govern the universe.
The phrase “may or may not be divinely inspired” suggests that while some throughout history have viewed the underlying order of the universe as evidence of a divine creator, Hawking himself, as a scientist, focused on the secular, natural laws that describe the cosmos. As a theoretical physicist, Hawking was particularly interested in the mathematical and physical principles that govern the universe, such as gravity, quantum mechanics, and the laws of thermodynamics. His work sought to explain phenomena like black holes, the Big Bang, and the very structure of space-time, all of which point to an inherent order rather than randomness.
Hawking’s perspective reflects the broader historical arc of science, from ancient mythologies and superstitions to the modern understanding of natural laws. Over the centuries, as scientists like Newton, Einstein, and Hawking have unveiled the fundamental principles of the universe, the idea that the world operates according to understandable laws has gradually replaced the belief in arbitrary or mystical forces. This quest for a unified theory of everything, which Hawking worked on throughout his career, embodies the aspiration to find a single set of principles that explain all physical phenomena.
