“You have until 2120, human species. If you do not leave the Planet Earth, you will become extinct.”
The voice of a 1950’s sci-fi film?
Michael Moore, because he knows with his appetite there will be no food left for the human race?
Nope. That dire prediction comes from renowned physicist Stephen Hawking in a new documentary called Expedition New Earth, which is scheduled for release this summer.
Hawking warns that the threats that will wipe out the human race include climate change, overpopulation, epidemics and asteroid strikes. Last year, he gloomily predicted the chance of a species-ending event on Earth was a “near certainty.” He stated, “Although the chance of disaster to planet Earth in a given year may be quite low, it adds up over time, and becomes a near certainty in the next 1,000 or 10,000 years. By that time, we should have spread out into space and to other stars, so a disaster on Earth would not mean the end of the human race.”
So why 100 years? Is he in a rush or something?
He has support; billionaire Elon Musk wants to establish a settlement on another planet in the next few decades. He said last year, “I don’t have a doomsday prophecy, but history suggests some doomsday event will happen. By that time, we should have spread out into space and to other stars, so a disaster on Earth would not mean the end of the human race.”
Yet Hawking also stated that the current era is a “glorious time to be alive and doing research into theoretical physics. Our picture of the universe has changed a great deal in the last 50 years and I am happy if I have made a small contribution. The fact that we humans, who are ourselves mere fundamental particles of nature, have been able to come this close to understanding the laws that govern us and the universe is certainly a triumph.”
Notice Hawking’s language: the lack of any reference to the human soul as he says “mere fundamental particles of nature.” As Hawking has said, “Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe. But now science offers a more convincing explanation.” Asked about his statement that a unifying theory of science would help mankind “know the mind of God,” Hawking replied, “What I meant by ‘we would know the mind of God’ is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God. Which there isn’t. I’m an atheist.”
With his disavowal of the spiritual aspect of man and the concomitant faith in God, it’s no wonder Hawking is so gloomy.