Tuesday 27 April 2010

Plan Hawking from outer space

It has to be said: physicist Stephen Hawking must have a superb publicist.  One throwaway comment about "aliens", and the whole world is talking about his new documentary for the Discovery Channel.

Nothing mysterious about that result.

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5 comments:

Falafulu Fisi said...

Watch out for the UN as they might jump the bandwagon of alien paranoia and initiate a forum similar to the IPCC, perhaps lead by Prof Hawking to gather the opinions of physicists (some sort of consensus) to alert world leaders to the possibility of aliens attacking our civilization. If such a body exists, their job would be no difference to the IPCC in trying to exhort money from government around the worlds to build a space-defence system to ward off any aliens pre-emptive strikes on our planet.

The idea is not new, String Theorist Prof. Michio Kaku had already talked about the possibility of existence of types 1, 2 and 3 civilizations that are out there. Quantum physicist and parallel universe proponent Prof. David Deutsch has even entertained the idea of aliens. Some science writers are already talking about aliens that reside in other branes according to multidimensional universe theory of particle physicist Prof. Lisa Randall.

The global warming scare started like this. Some scientist (James Hansen) brought forward the idea of AGW. Later on, it was organized into a formal body (IPCC) and the rest (scaremongering) is history. So, with prominent physicists of today, entertaining the idea of some catastrophic attack from aliens could lead to international cooperation to build a space-based defence system. Guess what? It will be a massive tax on world governments to pay for such system.

Barry said...

there has never been any observational evidence of such lifeforms in space. They are still looking.

As for AGW...despite the shoddy work done to date, there is still a mountain of observational evidence available.

If there was some observational evidence of other lifeforms...then you would need to worry

Greig McGill said...

The Drake equation is the most common method of determining the number of ET civilisations in our galaxy at any given time. Let's just say the likelihood of finding any is not high. :) The likelihood of them EXISTING (or having existed) is though...

gregster said...

FF: The UN, like Jeff Wayne's War of The Worlds. Yes, it's probable that the UN will start the next big one.
.............................

"Quantum physicist" and "parallel universe proponent"..

translated:

"We can never be certain of anything" and "I've come up with this, it's as good as any other, I think"..

LGM said...

The symbol of contemporary physics/cosmology- a cripple in a wheelchair.

His announcements are the usual rationalisms, flights of imagination, musing, mythology,....

LGM