tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18505394.post2902560712236116481..comments2023-10-16T05:49:08.865-04:00Comments on Wessays ™: 756 College Town Life & Book LookWessays (tm)http://www.blogger.com/profile/18293360412624189347noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18505394.post-8003043058343502232010-09-27T20:04:43.159-04:002010-09-27T20:04:43.159-04:00More on the guy who left the note.
http://www.pea...More on the guy who left the note.<br /><br />http://www.peacenext.org/profile/RonKrumpos<br /><br />And my reply:<br /><br />Ron: Thanks for reading and for your comment. Far be it from me to try to second guess either Hawking or Einstein. As I'm sure you know as well as I that Einstein was a controversial figure during his lifetime, as are many pioneers in many fields. He often ran afoul of his contemporaries because of his cosmological ideas, his rejection of quantum theory as it was understood and used in the mid 20th century, and for some of his spiritual and political views. He was, however, a great pioneer, an incomparable genius in his field and the standard against which much is measured, even today.<br /><br />But I have found that in their later years, many great men and women come to viewpoints either contradict or at least conflict with the works that establish them as public intellectuals. You find this with people such as James Joyce and Alfred Sloan. When Einstein died in 1955, he was considered an old man -- mid 70s -- which we now barely call "elderly." I have long thought that he and others of his intellectual stature came down with "death bed conversion syndrome," a natural consequence of a great thinker anticipating his own death.<br /><br />Hawking, although only in his late 60s also realizes that because of his illness, he likely will not live all that much longer and no doubt is thinking differently from the way he thought 30 years ago.<br /><br />I, for one, have no ideas of the mysteries of deities, the afterlife, parallel universes, miracles or anything akin to that. I certainly don't have the brain power to determine any of that, but read with interest some of the works of some of those who believe they can divine what's going on "out there." <br /><br />Again, thanks for reading and if you would like to continue this discussion, I'll be happy to hear from you at my "regular" e-mail, wesrichards@gmail.comWessays (tm)https://www.blogger.com/profile/18293360412624189347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18505394.post-67564033499818586552010-09-27T20:04:41.174-04:002010-09-27T20:04:41.174-04:00More on the guy who left the note.
http://www.pea...More on the guy who left the note.<br /><br />http://www.peacenext.org/profile/RonKrumpos<br /><br />And my reply:<br /><br />Ron: Thanks for reading and for your comment. Far be it from me to try to second guess either Hawking or Einstein. As I'm sure you know as well as I that Einstein was a controversial figure during his lifetime, as are many pioneers in many fields. He often ran afoul of his contemporaries because of his cosmological ideas, his rejection of quantum theory as it was understood and used in the mid 20th century, and for some of his spiritual and political views. He was, however, a great pioneer, an incomparable genius in his field and the standard against which much is measured, even today.<br /><br />But I have found that in their later years, many great men and women come to viewpoints either contradict or at least conflict with the works that establish them as public intellectuals. You find this with people such as James Joyce and Alfred Sloan. When Einstein died in 1955, he was considered an old man -- mid 70s -- which we now barely call "elderly." I have long thought that he and others of his intellectual stature came down with "death bed conversion syndrome," a natural consequence of a great thinker anticipating his own death.<br /><br />Hawking, although only in his late 60s also realizes that because of his illness, he likely will not live all that much longer and no doubt is thinking differently from the way he thought 30 years ago.<br /><br />I, for one, have no ideas of the mysteries of deities, the afterlife, parallel universes, miracles or anything akin to that. I certainly don't have the brain power to determine any of that, but read with interest some of the works of some of those who believe they can divine what's going on "out there." <br /><br />Again, thanks for reading and if you would like to continue this discussion, I'll be happy to hear from you at my "regular" e-mail, wesrichards@gmail.comWessays (tm)https://www.blogger.com/profile/18293360412624189347noreply@blogger.com