LESSON NINE Against All Odds

Michael White and John Gribbin

Background

Warm-up Discussions

About the authors

British biographers, also scientists

Michael White: Between 1984 and 1991 he was a science lecturer at d'Overbroeck's College in Oxford before becoming a full-time writer. He is the author of more than twenty books, among which is Einstein: A Life in Science

John Gribbin is the award-winning author of many popular science books and probably the most well known UK writer and broadcaster onthe subject of physics. Coauthor of Einstein: A Life in Science

This biography is really two books in one: the story of Hawking's life, and an explanation of the theoretical concepts related to his research into black holes and the origin of our universe.

This biography pays particular attention to Hawking's scientific achievement, as well as to the tragic progress of his illnesses and his extraordinary will to survive and to continue working despite major progressive handicap.

Do you know anything about Stephen Hawking?

scientist, physicist, genius, ALS sufferer…

disabled, paralyzed…

Hawking, Stephen William

born on 8 January 1942 (300 years after the death of Galileo) in Oxford, England.

The scientist in the wheel chairHis research in cosmology and

theory of “black holes”have greatly enhanced our understanding of the universe, thus making him one of the greatest scientist in the 20th century.

in 1958 he entered Oxford University.

in 1962 received a bachelor’ s degree in physics and enrolled as a research student in general relativity at the department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge.

in 1974 he became one of the youngest fellows of the Royal Society.

in 1977 he became a professor of physics at the University of Cambridge.

In 1979 he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge.

也许是有史以来最为崇高的教授职务，那是牛顿和狄拉克担任过的卢卡逊数学教授。

His main field of research has been the beginning of the universe, and a unified theory of physics, the nature of space and time, including irregularities in space and time known as singularities( 奇点） .

Major works

Universe in a Nutshell（果壳里的空间之王/The Illustrated Brief History of Time(1988)

Stephen Hawking's bestseller A Brief History of Time is the most popular book about cosmology ever written.

In 1992 American filmmaker Errol Morris helped make all-time best seller A Brief History of Time into a film about Hawking’s life and work.

Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays (1993),（黑洞、婴儿宇宙及其他）

The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe

《时空本性》

The Future of Spacetime 《未来的魅力》

研究领域： 理论物理学： 70 年代霍金与彭罗斯一道证明了著名的奇性定理，为此他们共同获得了 1988年的沃尔夫物理奖。他因此被誉为“继爱因斯坦之后世界上最著名的科学思想家和最杰出的理论物理学家”。他还证明了黑洞的面积定理。

霍金的生平是非常富有传奇性的，在科学成就上，他是有史以来最杰出的科学家之一，他超越了相对论、量子力学、大爆炸等理论而迈入创造宇宙的“几何之舞”。尽管他那么无助地坐在轮椅上，他的思想却出色地遨游到光袤的时空，解开了宇宙之谜。

霍金的魅力不仅在于他是一个充满传奇色彩的物理天才，也因为他是一个令人折服的生活强者。他不断求索的科学精神和勇敢顽强的人格力量深深地吸引了每一个知道他的人。

1988 年，霍金的惊世之著《从时间简史：从大爆炸到黑洞》（ A Brief History of Time ： from the Big Bang to Black Holes ）发行。

研究黑洞出发，探索了宇宙的起源和归宿，解答了人类有史以来一直探索的问题：时间有没有开端，空间有没有边界。这是人类科学史上里程碑式的佳作。该书被译成 40余种文字，出版了 1000余万册，至今已经销售 2500万册。

1942-1-8 ：出生于英国牛津。

1963 ：被诊断出肌萎缩性侧索硬化症。

1973 ：首部著作《空时的大型结构》出版。

1974 ：宣布发现黑洞辐射，成为英国皇家学会会员。

1979 ：《广义相对论评述：纪念爱因斯坦百年诞辰》出版。

1985 ：失去语言能力，使用带语音合成器的计算机。

1988 ：《时间简史：从大爆炸到黑洞》获沃尔夫基金奖。至今销售 2500 万册。

1993 ：《黑洞与婴儿宇宙及其它论文》出版。

My Experience with ALS (by Stephen Hawking)

(excerpts only)

I am quite often asked: How do you feel about having ALS? The answer is, not a lot. I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many.

In my third year at Oxford, however, I noticed that I seemed to be getting more clumsy, and I fell over once or twice for no apparent reason.

The realisation that I had an incurable disease, that was likely to kill me in a few years, was a bit of a shock. How could something like that happen to me? Why should I be cut off like this?

However, while I had been in hospital, I had seen a boy I vaguely knew die of leukaemia, in the bed opposite me. It had not been a pretty sight.

Clearly there were people who were worse off than me. At least my condition didn't make me feel sick. Whenever I feel inclined to be sorry for myself I remember that boy.

My dreams at that time were rather disturbed. Before my condition had been diagnosed, I had been very bored with life. There had not seemed to be anything worth doing.

But shortly after I came out of hospital, I dreamt that I was going to be executed. I suddenly realised that there were a lot of worthwhile things I could do if I were reprieved 缓期执行 .

Another dream, that I had several times, was that I would sacrifice my life to save others. After all, if I were going to die anyway, it might as well do some good.

But I didn't die. In fact, although there was a cloud hanging over my future, I found, to my surprise, that I was enjoying life in the present more than before. I began to make progress with my research,

and I got engaged to a girl called Jane Wilde, whom I had met just about the time my condition was diagnosed. That engagement changed my life. It gave me something to live for.

I have had motor neuron disease for practically all my adult life. Yet it has not prevented me from having a very attractive family, and being successful in my work.

This is thanks to the help I have received from Jane, my children, and a large number of other people and organizations.

I have been lucky, that my condition has progressed more slowly than is often the case. But it shows that one need not lose hope.

From: http://www.hawking.org.uk

What can you learn from Hawking?

His struggle against the extreme odds

His perseverance to carry on

His optimism…

Do you believe in the power of love?

Can you think of anyone you know in china who has or had the same kind of courage to defy fate?

The University of Cambridge

One of the oldest universities in the world and one of the largest in the United Kingdom:The University of Cambridge consists of over 100 departments, faculties and schools plus a central administration.

Thank you!