One of the world's most beloved and inspirational
scientists, Stephen Hawking, passed away on
March 14, 2018.
Hawking revolutionized physics and cosmology,
and his tireless resilience in the face of
adversity touched the lives of millions of
people, leaving behind a formidable legacy
that will influence not just science, but
humanity as a whole for years to come.
What is much less known about Hawking, however,
is that he was also very politically active,
and held a variety of leftist views.
He spoke out against numerous wars, called
for action against climate catastrophe, and
defended socialist programs that help society
progress.
In fact, Hawking's final post in an Ask Me
Anything interview on the social media website
Reddit warned against the dangers of capitalism,
and the endless inequality it creates.
"Everyone can enjoy a life of luxurious leisure
if the machine-produced wealth is shared,"
Hawking wrote, "or most people can end up
miserably poor if the machine owners successfully
lobby against wealth redistribution."
He was also a strong voice in support of socialized
medicine.
Hawking frequently called for greater funding
for the British government's National Health
Service, and vociferously opposed attempts
at privatizing it.
"The more profit is extracted from the system,
the more private monopolies grow, and the
more expensive healthcare becomes," he explained.
"The NHS must be preserved from commercial
interests."
Hawking's progressive orientation also extended
into the realm of foreign policy.
When the US and UK illegally invaded Iraq
in 2003, Hawking condemned the war.
At a peace demonstration in London in 2004,
he blasted the Iraq war as a war crime that
was based on lies.
In 2013 Hawking even came out in support of
the boycott of Israel on behalf of Palestinian
human rights.
In spite the ensuing smear campaign and massive
backlash, he stood tall for justice.
On environmental destruction Hawking was equally
outspoken.
He condemned far right US President Donald
Trump for rejecting climate science and opposing
action against climate change.
We are close to the tipping point where global
warming becomes irreversible.
Trump's action could push the earth over the
brink to become like Venus, with a temperature
of 250°, and reigning sulfuric acid.
Climate change is one of the great dangers
we face, and it's one we can prevent if we
act now."
Hawking was part of a long line of revolutionary
physicists who had revolutionary politics.
His predecessor Albert Einstein was a committed
socialist who admired Vladimir Lenin and who,
given his close links to communists, was carefully
monitored by the FBI, which compiled a 1400
page file in him.
Hawking's contemporary Carl Sagan was also
a leftist who was committed to popularizing
science education for the working class.
Stephen Hawking faced unimaginable physical
obstacles, but he always rode over them in
his signature wheelchair.
In fact the physicist regretted never having
an opportunity to use that wheelchair to run
over the toes of Britain's notorious right-wing
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Up until his final days at age 76, decades
longer than doctors initially told him he
would live, Hawking continued his quest to
understand the universe, and make it more
just.
The thrill of discovering something no one
knew before is like nothing else I know.
I want to share my excitement with everyone.
My main challenge has been Lou Gehrig's disease,
or ALS.
I have had it since I was 21, but it has not
prevented me from exploring the universe with
my mind.
He was deeply motivated to always keep on
fighting not by religion, but rather by a
secular humanist worldview.
Hawking recognized that we as humans create
our world, and it is our responsibility and
our responsibility alone to make it a better
place.
No one created the universe, and no one directs
our fate.
This leads me to a profound realization: There
is probably no heaven, and no afterlife either.
We have this one life to appreciate the grand
design of the universe, and for that I am
extremely grateful.
Reporting for The Real News, I'm Ben Norton.
