Stephen Hawking as a Role Model: a Symbol of Hope and Intelligence

Stephen Hawking is a hero in the disabled community because of his efforts to show that even with a diagnosis of something like ALS you can still achieve your dreams. Achievements in science and technology as well as life-story of Stephen Hawking make him a role model for many people, so in this essay we will briefly explore what he did and why he is considered as the symbol of hope and intelligence for so many people.

Stephen Hawking as a Role Model: Living Against Life Obstacles

One of the most impressive things that Stephen did to show this is in the shear amount of time that he was able to fight his incurable condition. After being diagnosed with ALS the average life expectancy of that person is two to five years. However, Stephen Hawking pushed through his condition for 55 years after being diagnosed, giving countless people with the same or a similar condition hope.

This highly respected man was born in 1942 and died recently on March 14, 2018, at the age of 76, when he was at his home in Cambridge. He was a British scientist, professor, and author who did groundbreaking work in physics and cosmology, and whose books helped to make science accessible to everyone.

This personality will surely be remembered by many of us as a cultural force - the brilliant thinker who wrote 'A Brief History of Time' and published more than 10 popular books. Some of the books, which were designed primarily for children, he wrote with his daughter Lucy. He has also been in many documentaries and biographical movies. Hawking was definitely one of the most important physicists in the second half of the 20th century. With his work on black holes, quantum mechanics and the origins of the universeii., he has provided the most comprehensive explanation for the behavior of the universe till now. He admitted, that he was inspired by some theories from former scientists such as Albert Einstein or Werner Heisenberg. 

Even on the other side of the spectrum looking at Stephen Hawking’s scientific discoveries he’s still considered a hero. Hawking had his Ph.D. in cosmology and known for his groundbreaking work on black holes and relativity. Stephen Hawking completely changed and revolutionized the fields he studied and did research in. Discovering the effect of Hawking Radiation which described how a black hole could loss mass and energy leading it to eventually die. Hawking also wrote and contributed to several books; some of which being 'The Universe in a Nutshell', 'A Briefer History of Time' and 'The Grand Design'. All of these books written by Hawking talk about the Universe, how it works, and how it came about but, in a new innovative way of explaining them. All very revolutionizing ideas and concepts that make him a hero in a scientific sense of the word.

Hawking did all his work while fighting the insidious degenerative disease - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS. This unfortunately robbed him of mobility and speech and put him in a wheelchair for a long period of his life. Part of his life story was shown in the film The Theory of Everything, which was released in year 2014.

Overall, today we can undoubtedly say, that this man’s life work influenced modern science in an immeasurable way. Thanks to his memorable quotes, he also motivated many people to be better, and I am convinced that even after his death, his legacy will float around this world and encourage humankind in the future.

However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.

Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.

- Stephen Hawking

References

• “Stephen Hawking.” Famous Scientists, www.famousscientists.org/stephen-hawking/.
• Hawking, Stephen W. The Theory of Everything: the Origin and Fate of the Universe. Jaico, 2009.