Steven Hawking Argues God Not Necessary For The Universe To Exist

Stephen Hawking’s new book is bound to create a lot of controversy. The history of science versus religion has been a progression of science providing explanations for phenomenon previously attributed to gods. For example, early primitive men attributed the eruption of volcanoes to a god with science later providing an explanation. Modern primitive-thinking men (e.g. the religious right) attribute the development of complex organisms to a god despite this having been explained by science. Now Hawking argues that even the creation of the universe does not require a god:

God did not create the universe, world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book that aims to banish a divine creator from physics.

Hawking says in his book “The Grand Design” that, given the existence of gravity, “the universe can and will create itself from nothing,” according to an excerpt published Thursday in The Times of London.

“Spontaneous creation is the reason why there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist,” he writes in the excerpt.

“It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper [fuse] and set the universe going,” he writes.

While the book has already sparked plenty of debate, it is a safe prediction that it will change few, if any, minds. The manner in which gods are described usually makes it impossible to either prove or disprove their existence. Some people will simply reject the science, and others will makeĀ  argumentsĀ  that t does not matter. It is plausible (even if unnecessary) to believe in a god even if a mechanism can be developed to show how the universe could have been started without divine intervention.

While science cannot disprove the existence of a god, it is notable that there are some who do see the ability of science to explain a phenomenon previously attributed to a god as a threat to their religion. The most obvious example are those who continue to deny evolution despite the overwhelming evidence which has been established. Similarly I am certain that many will see Hawking’s book as a threat.