IS THERE A HEAVEN?

THE renowned English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, in a May 2011 interview with The Guardian said, “There is no heaven or afterlife; that is a fairy story.” It is unfortunate that Mr. Hawking, a scientist, chose to make such an unscientific statement.

A person who does not believe in heaven can only say that according to known physical laws, heaven does not exist. The currently accepted theory of the composition of the Universe states that only 4% of the Universe consists of matter as we know it. The remaining 96% of the Universe is thought to consist of dark matter and dark energy, which are poorly understood, if at all. Only the 4% of the Universe that we do understand—the observable universe—is subject to scientific study. Science is defined as the systematic study of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

Only that which can be observed can thus be considered to be subject to scientific study. Since the greater part of the universe cannot be observed, it clearly cannot be studied.

In earlier times, there was no scientific method. In the present day, any statement is considered valid only if it has been made via the established scientific method. This method has to be adopted by scientists and non-scientists alike. The only scientifically valid statement on this subject that Mr. Hawking could have made was that—

‘according to known physical laws, in the 4% of the Universe subject to scientific study, there is probably no heaven.’

A meaningful world cannot have a meaningless end