By Claire Bernish at theantimedia.org
United Kingdom — Humanity’s future is in peril thanks to so-called advancements in science and technology, claims Professor Stephen Hawking, who cited “nuclear war, global warming, and genetically-modified viruses” as deadly threats to our existence.
Hawking described various “things that could go wrong” to an audience of hundreds attending the first in a series of BBC Reith Lectures, which pertain to research about black holes. He asserted the necessity for colonization of other planets to ensure survival of the human species. According to the BBC, Hawking cautioned:
“Although the chance of a disaster to planet Earth in a given year might be quite low, it adds up over time, and becomes a near certainty in the next thousand or ten thousand 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.
“However, we will not establish self-sustaining colonies in space for at least the next hundred years, so we have to be very careful in this period.”
Though it would seem counterproductive for such a well-respected scientist to decry scientific progress as humanity’s most existential threat, this isn’t the first time Hawking has advised us to exercise caution, as Anti-Media has reported several times. Last summer, the theoretical physicist was among over 1,000 artificial intelligence experts who signed an open letter about the weaponization of robots and the ongoing “military artificial intelligence arms race” among the world’s military powers.
In October of last year, Hawking warned scientists at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) about the potential for the Higgs Boson “God Particle” to initiate “catastrophic vacuum decay” — the formation of a quantum bubble that expands at the speed of light and could decimate the entire universe. Concern over the automation of the world’s workforce coupled with capitalist greed also earned the scientist’s stern alarm.
In fact, taken collectively, Hawking’s numerous warnings are aimed directly at the careless hubris of the ruling elites and their tendency to act in favor of profit — in a variety of fields — without consideration given to long-term consequences resulting from such hastily implemented projects.
Despite the numerous cautionary scenarios Hawking has proffered, he claims society will likely discover the means to cope.
“We are not going to stop making progress, or reverse it, so we have to recognize the dangers and control them,” he stated. “I’m an optimist, and I believe we can.
“It’s important to ensure that these changes are heading in the right directions. In a democratic society, this means that everyone needs to have a basic understanding of science to make informed decisions about the future.
“So communicate plainly what you are trying to do in science, and who knows, you might even end up understanding it yourself.”
The BBC will broadcast this first lecture with Stephen Hawking on January 26 and February 2. It will also be found online here.
Hawking’s theories, of course, haven’t escaped criticism; yet he does maintain a healthy enthusiasm, which was evidenced in this advice he offered young scientists:
“From my own perspective, it has been a glorious time to be alive and doing research in theoretical physics. There is nothing like the Eureka moment of discovering something that no one knew before.”
MORE FROM ANTI-MEDIA:
— Stephen Hawking and 1,000 Experts Sign Letter Warning Of Weaponized Robots
— Stephen Hawking Warns About The Greatest Threat to Humanity
This article (Stephen Hawking Warns Humanity: Leave Earth Before the Ruling Class Destroys It) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Claire Bernish andtheAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. Image credit: LWP Kommunikacio. If you spot a typo, email [email protected].
Well said Stephen =)
Thank you…
Why doesnt hawkins leave first.
Retard
stick to taking others jobs, your humor is drool.
Did you even READ what he said??
All in the political art of purchase power: Bar of Soap.
I only wash with soap that is either purchased on its own or in simple cardboard packaging that I know I can throw away in the backyard in the compost bin. At least by this simple action I avoid unwanted packaging so no plastics but importantly I void buying products by ‘multi international companies’. And if soap is the answer to fighting against childhood diseases as see ted.com lecture Myrian Sidibe: ‘The simple power of hand-washing’ (Sept 2014) then it is good enough for me.
So you’re going to save the world with soap? Forget about people who are starving and people who suffer at the hands of natural disasters from global warming… Those things are also controlled by the purchases of consumers. Forget about the 150bn animals killed a year and the state if the oceans because of fishing and waste from animal agriculture… No… Just buy the right soap and we arenall going to be OK. If you really want to make a difference with your purchases, use your car as little as possible and ride a bike, go vegan and buy organic local food and buy used clothes. Animal agriculture is the biggest environmental problem currently and the leading cause of species loss, as well as a huge contributing factor to food shortages across the world.
I agree with your comments, I just want to add that to me, there is nothing that makes any sense to kill healthy feeling loving animals and eat them. This is not right and I do think that cancer can be had through eating flesh of sentients.
U r right sweeety
You would think that Earth’s elite would recognize that their pursuit of profit at the expense of our planet is fundamentally STUPID. Are they so short sighted to believe that their progeny will not be effected by their greed? Or, are they so narcissistic that they just don’t give a damn?
As to the developing robots that are programmed with artificial intelligence, might I suggest those involved re-watch “The Terminator” movie franchise. If machines become intelligent, we don’t have a chance. They would illuminate us due to the sheer lack of logic our species displays.
We are both sad and pathetic.
Angela, the problem is that if people are not making profits then other Capitalists will kill them politically by accusing them of being Communist (whether they are or not- chances are, they won’t be because the world’s never actually seen Communism.)
Both of these ideologies work with money and, therefore, inevitably run on greed and self interest. Money is not an economic system, it’s a theory built on the lie that if you work hard you will achieve (but if that was true, all the women in Africa would be billionaires.)
This, unfortunately, is the truth. America also has slowly been losing it’s democracy, due to capitalism. The alluring promise of billions of dollars from capitalism has caused the disestablishment of the democratic principles. They have been decreasing our freedom at increasingly exponentially rates, using fear tactics & other propaganda, in order to take advantage of a capitalist society and increase the returns on their investments.
You are confusing crony capitalism with true capitalism.
But Scotty, Full communism is nothing like what is / has been in any of the states that claimed to be communist. That is like your comparison of Capitalism with Crony-capitalism or Corporate Capitalism. What was / is in Russia or China is not Communism, but a form of predatory Socialism… not even democratic socialism, such as Canada, Sweden Denmark etc. where they have a mix of social policies and capitalist companies… The Oligarchs have taken over what was the Soviet Union and China… Just as they are doing in the West…
There is no correlation between wealth and intelligence; which is why an idiot named Trump can become wealthy and president.
Idiot eh? look up the definition. Are you a moron or what?
Everything I wanted to say and more. Thank you good sir.
Of course they know what they are doing.thats the sickness.
Lie ! There are many identical replica earth in past , present and future to predict precisely our earth’s options for future . When Sir Stephen Hawking will acknowledge that ” People Identical To Us Live On Other Planets ” ? I want to introduce concept of earth progression . Earths mass is not constant ! West science is erratic ! Earth changes its calendar ! And its time for 495 days in a year & 44 hours a day !
Okay, i’m a skeptic of any thing.
What the h… Are you talking about?
Let’s talk ai against militarized robots and elite systems… yes? no? WHY? The greed mentioned is all not random. The pursuit of greed is the concept of nothing. Nothing can be defined as nonexist, naked, zero, and etc. Ai with that same concept we struggle with everyday(fear of lack, Eden), then it is certain a Matrix situation will happen. However, Anonymous is building important ai counter systems at this moment, able to operate from systems like menuet os.
No longer do the good of the many outweigh the needs of the few. In fact, the needs of the few have seen to it that the needs of the many no longer matter whatsoever. The only thing that matters is they continue to hoard all the wealth. In the short-term, the middle class and below are paying the price of this greed, however the planet is what ultimately pays the price of this incredible amount of greed, and in turn we will all pay the price. The powers that have seized control of our governments, our media, and every aspect of our perception, have no conscience for the destructive forces they have upon our only planet. They reap the profits by demolishing our atmosphere, our water, our freedom, etc.
It will be near impossible to reverse the momentum of this calamity, however we can slow it as much as we can & search for a way to colonize a new planet, simultaneously. This is the only hope of survival.
Do you really believe in someone who is not an ACTOR?
Why am I reminded of this short story I read 45 years ago?
The Marching Morons. Science fiction story written by Cyril M. Kornbluth, originally published in Galaxy in April 1951.
It’s a good read, for those who are interested:
http://mysite.du.edu/~treddell/3780/Kornbluth_The-Marching-Morons.pdf
WHy am I reminded of a person called Adolf Hitler, who tried to fight exactly against this bullshit we’re being fed upon, and who was defamed as the worst person in history? Yeah, don’t know, kinda weird… Probably nothing to do with the ruling class, the jewish elite. Nah, that can’t be it.
Killing all jews was a mistake, the real elite was already in usa fuelling the conflict to obain the state of Israel.
there is this Jews Elite made of rich bank family holding the world by the balls owning the Fed bank, media and multi nationals, and there is the people jew who have no idea what’s going on regarding this.
I wouln’t praise for hitler, the massacre and horrible experiment his regim did on people is a shame of all humanity.
A french with no religion
Um, Earth to Stephen (and everyone else getting all worked up about this), doesn’t one have to be part of the ruling elite to afford to space travel?
Everyone just needs to chill out, grow organic hemp, sequester carbon and raise some bees. There aren’t any bees on Mars, people.
http://regenerationinternational.org
and how do Mr. Hawkins thing we could do this task!!….the only way to leave earth is by getting ourselves chop chop………..
hmmmm………..yep!! only way is what Mr/Mrs/Ms. Logicx is trying to state ….only through dead we would part from Earth…there is no other way for us to leave Earth for now….
Sir Stephen Hawking told us, his interpretation of – ”Leave Earth before…” our individual soul for survivals, or our physical bodies going to dead souls… but the Earth remains forever -{according the Ecclesiastes 1:4), only his physical deterioration,and shrinking flesh very obvious his physical, and our humankind are going to extinction life, but look at him-{Stephen Hawking)extremely suffering from his physical genius of his personal delusional into speculation that our physical earth that would destroyed by his personal- theory and interpretation of being genius statement, he believed himself a form of a god’s deliverance or he is god chosen and salvation to the world…
Wow you are delirious and a threat to logical thinkers you religious brainwasher
hi there this is master chief from jnited nantions space camand you have syar fleet coman ferderation of planet conferederation plant and tomarowland trasit athoity wich makes 90% alinces in the universe steven hawkens did not read treaty were if hummanty cant colise deep space then earth can atherize a planetery evacution too halo universe haveing a halo hniverse evacate 7.3 billion humman lives too halo universe i am going contact steven hawkens and let him earth is good hands
Eventually, we all will be “leaving” earth – it is inevitable – right again Steve
People are really Gullible if you think there is Global warming, what a bunch of “CRAP” Earth will do what it has been doing for as long as it has been around. On another note someone mentioned earlier about HUNGER and HOMELESSNESS in this country and through out the world. There should be no reason for it. Food should be super cheap. 70% of the crops are wasted by the hands of or wonderful leaders, because they control the farmers, I know this from working at wheat farms. So lets concentrate on ending HOMELESSNESS AND HUNGER. Stephen Hawking Brings up valid points about robots, But until enough people stand up and join together nothing will stop them. First things first “END homelessness and hunger.
He’s right, about the near distrution of earth next summer. The aliens out there in space are already working on it, but chances are probably pretty slim that its gonna miss due to the size of it and. Do you people still believe that Saturn is swinging in comets and asteroids into her rings? Man, I thought their we’re only 12 planets in our whole system? And now their saying theirs 100’s
“So communicate plainly what you are trying to do in science, and who knows, you might even end up understanding it yourself.”
This should be set in stone in big gold letters.
The capitalism with un precedent speed of development can lead us 3 possible ends!
1 :- human race after knowing the horror of excess development , will move back toward their spirtual lives!
2 : this development would take us into a apocalyptic situation and we would kill ourself. As hawking trying to say!
3 : human race will keep developing and will make this world a soulless modern developed place, where morals and emotions would not be able to get any palce!
To quote spiderman “with great power comes great responsibility”
I know that this physical earth is not all there is. We are all spiritual beings having an experience in a physical body. When the body starts to pack up and die we all go to the spirit world which is where we all belong. Its all around us but is not seen with the physical eye. Some people have seen this world and I’m one of them. To be honest this world now is so violent so cruel so money orientated and so greedy and full of corruption and man made religions that I wont be sorry for it to end, or at least wipe the evil ones off the face of this earth.
It’s not like we got access it spaceships and can just leave, what else can we do but prepare for war against these fukin demons, praise God, He will command our army and we will kick these fukin asshole’s back to the pit of hell, bring it on you wanna bee’s
Unfortunately if we do have to leave the planet then it will be the same elitist that are destroying Earth that woulld be able to afford the tickets. Plebs like us would stay and burn, suffocate, etc.
Stephen Hawkings is a idiot. He is clueless with his knowledge of how different planets effect your mental and physical effects OBVIOUSLY. Its proven that when people have 6 months light and 6 months dark , they go crazy and lose their minds. We have this on Earth on the non-habitable areas. Let alone a entire different planet, where your ancestors have never been , where your human body hasn’t had THOUSANDS OF YEARS to adept to the location. The gravity and the time also differs A LOT with the earth on the most planets. And WHY THE F Would they want to deestroy the planet which THEY LOVE aswell????? They don’t like us, but then again WE IN EUROPE AND USA ARE PRIVILAGED. The people who will be wiped are the already dying Africans and Chinese / Indians due to their high population. The rest is already being wiped out with war and most of the morons who are reacting here have no single fucking clue appearantly.
What I am saying is no rocket science, it’s just logical thinking. This is what the problem is. People don’t think for them self anymore , people only react with BS based on 0 facts ffs.
Oh and Mr I am so *smart( * = Dumb as shit but trying to look smart) Hawkings. Instead of making weird speculations which don’t make sense at all, how about trying to look for a actual solution. Your smart right? Do something about it since your in a more power position and more believable ( appearantly ) then the most of us. Because really, lets say by some miracle you are right. And this will happen. Alright then WHAT NOW!? What is the Fucking plan? Come with solutions with answers! WTF is this crap!? I can go speculate all day aswell and put BS on the internet, but its not helping anyone. AS A MATTER OF FACT IT PISSES ME OFF TO SEE THAT THE SUPPOSEDLY SMARTEST GUY ON EARTH HAS BRAINS OF A SIZE OF A WALNUT. So to this Fake Anonymous website, if you have this kind of BS again. It doesn’t make any fucking sense.
God bless
I will never abandon my dear planet earth. The so called elite will have to leave. it is our turn now to live in peace and beauty. I have no doubt it is only a matter of time. I am not intimidated by the grimm and loveless techniques of *them* they are fading fast. I must say I do not trust mr. hawkins too much either.