'Mind over matter': Stephen Hawking – obituary by Roger Penrose
Date: Friday, March 16, 2018 @ 20:36:30 UTC
Topic: General
 Stephen Hawking at his office at the department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics at Cambridge University in 2005. Photograph: Murdo Macleod for the Guardian
From The Guardian/International Edition: 'Mind over matter': Stephen Hawking – obituary by Roger Penrose
Theoretical physicist who made revolutionary contributions to our understanding of the nature of the universe
The image of Stephen Hawking – who has died aged 76 – in his motorised wheelchair, with head contorted slightly to one side and hands crossed over to work the controls, caught the public imagination, as a true symbol of the triumph of mind over matter.
As with the Delphic oracle of ancient Greece, physical impairment seemed compensated by almost supernatural gifts, which allowed his mind to roam the universe freely, upon occasion enigmatically revealing some of its secrets hidden from ordinary mortal view.
Of course, such a romanticised image can represent but a partial truth. Those who knew Hawking would clearly appreciate the dominating presence of a real human being, with an enormous zest for life, great humour, and tremendous determination, yet with normal human weaknesses, as well as his more obvious strengths. It seems clear that he took great delight in his commonly perceived role as “the No 1 celebrity scientist”; huge audiences would attend his public lectures, perhaps not always just for scientific edification...
Full article: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/mar/14/stephen-hawking-obituary
My favourite Hawking quote: The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge - R.I.P. Stephen Hawking [Vlad]
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