Stephen Hawking Warns That Science & Technology Pose Biggest Threats To Humans

Stephen Hawking, the renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist, is warning the human race about the threats posed by science and technology.

Stephen Hawking’s Warning

Over the course of the next century, the human race will face its most dangerous stretch of time yet. Why? Advances in science and technology, such as nuclear weapons and lethal viruses that are genetically engineered. One way to face such threats is with an exit strategy to a colony on a faraway planet – but Hawking believes that we’re a long way off on completing such a project.

“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,” Hawking told the Radio Times ahead of his BBC Reith Lecture on black holes.

As for the technological advances, Hawking doesn’t want them to halt. Rather, he wants there to be additional technological advances to thwart the more dangerous technologies. “We are not going to stop making progress, or reverse it, so we must recognize the dangers and control them,” Hawking explained.

Hawking, now 74, was just 21 years old when he learned that he had a form of motor neuron disease. Though his life expectancy was diminished, he’s been thriving for more than fifty years. He credits his resiliency to a commitment to staving off anger.

“It’s also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is,” Hawking said. “Because you can lose all hope if you can’t laugh at yourself and at life in general.”