Did Stephen Hawking Believe in an Afterlife?

[DaveC426913]

I fear the process of dying, no fear of death.

Not that I have reason to question you, but consider:

If someone told you that, when you went to sleep tonight, you would be poisoned with carbon monoxide and never wake up, would you not fear that?

 

[chrispan]

I am a native English speaker, and I assure you there is no way to correctly construe that quote to mean Hawking thinks something in us continues after death to experience some kind of "darkness."

That sounds logical. Thanks. :)
But can Hawking used "darkness" as a metaphor that we can suffer in this nothingness or oblivion after death? Is there a physical theory for it?

Though I think there must be a believe in a religious soul to suffer after death, or can we somehow suffer after death without a believe in a religious soul and just physical theories?

 

[russ_watters]

But can Hawking used "darkness" as a metaphor that we can suffer in this nothingness or oblivion after death?

No. I agree with the others: the meaning of the metaphor Hawking used was completely clear.

Is there a physical theory for it?

No, nor can there be. This was already said as well.

Though I think there must be a believe in a religious soul to suffer after death, or can we somehow suffer after death without a believe in a religious soul and just physical theories?

Again: that isn't what Hawking said/meant. I'm not sure we can convince you, but you are simply refusing to accept that Hawking said what we say he said.

 

[chrispan]

OK. :)

Again: that isn't what Hawking said/meant.

Referred to which part of my text now? Somehow you quoted both of my theories? :D Or maybe its because of my bad english, a whole sentence what he didnt mean would be good for me to understand his meaning, thanks in advance. :)And there is also no theory from someone else that we can somehow suffer in oblivion/nothingness just based on physics facts?

 

[russ_watters]

Referred to which part of my text now? Somehow you quoted both of my theories?

I don't see any theories. But neither of the two parts in the sentence relate to what Hawking said.

And there is also no theory from someone else that we can somehow suffer in oblivion/nothingness just based on physics facts?

No. It is not a question science can address.

 

[Evo]

Here's the whole quote:

"You had a health scare and spent time in hospital in 2009. What, if anything, do you fear about death?

I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

It should be clear he regards consciousness as dependent on brain function, and believes death brings about the cessation of brain function, hence the cessation of consciousness. There is no implication of an experience of darkness after death, and a clear implication there's no possibility of any kind of experience.

"...people afraid of the dark," simply refers to people afraid of the unknown.

The thread should have been closed with this post as it explains what Hawking said.