Who the Fuck Even Was Stephen Hawking?

Who the Fuck Even Was Stephen Hawking?

Stephen Hawking died last week on the 14th of March 2018. He was arguably one of the most well-known scientists of the last half century. He was even something of a pop culture icon, with appearances in “The Simpsons,” “Futurama,” and more. Most white, male scientists are interchangeable and dull, but with his hi-tech wheelchair, and iconic digital voice, Hawking was instantly recognisable. But amongst all the eulogies on your Facebook feed, you may still have been left wondering; why exactly was this man so iconic?

The best place to start is his contribution to science. Hawking made a lot of important contributions to the field of cosmology. If, like me, you have no idea what cosmology is, the simplest description is that it is the study of the origin, progression, and end of the universe. The most well-known cosmological theory is the Big Bang theory, which postulates that the universe began with an explosion from a single point, and continues to expand from that point. A complex part of cosmology is black holes; points of great mass within the universe that exert a huge gravitational pull on surrounding matter, including light. Black holes are not easily described using the laws of physics. Hawking was a key contributor to the study of black holes, showing that black holes could actually emit radiation and particles, and could dissolve and explode in their own right. This research, among other things, made him something of a star (pun not intended) in the cosmological science community.

By all accounts, Hawking also had a tremendous intellect, and a quick wit. This allowed him not only to be a brilliant scientist, but also a great science communicator. In his later life he gave a great many lectures on topics such as artificial intelligence, religion and science, and even healthcare. He was politically active, and was a proud supporter of the UK Labour Party, and of the NHS.

Perhaps Hawking’s most impressive achievement was accomplishing all that he did while suffering the debilitating effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS (you know, that thing the ice bucket challenge made us all aware of). Diagnosed with ALS in his early 20s, Hawking gradually lost of the use of the muscles in his body. Initially just clumsy, and with a slight slur to his speech, he gradually lost the ability to walk and talk, and became reliant on nursing care. In spite of this, he continued to be active in science, and in public life. He was clearly a brilliant man, a voice of reason in society, and proof that disability need not limit life. He contributed a lot, and will be certainly missed. RIP Stephen Hawking.

This article first appeared in Issue 5, 2018.
Posted 8:36pm Thursday 22nd March 2018 by Dr. Nick.