• Latest

The Theory of Everything

December 8, 2014

RAD Denounces Threats to Organizing for Safe and Inclusive Schools

January 24, 2023
African Queen (1951)

The Heiress

January 24, 2023

Meet Your Chamber

January 24, 2023
Just Some Thoughts

The Purpose of Pendulums

January 24, 2023
Capital City Concerts offers a Free Family Concert on Saturday, January 28 in Montpelier

Capital City Concerts offers a Free Family Concert on Saturday, January 28 in Montpelier

January 17, 2023

VSAC’s College & Career Pathways Events Offer Workshops on Campuses Across Vermont

January 17, 2023

National Endowment for the Arts Announces Grants to Support the Arts in Vermont

January 17, 2023
African Queen (1951)

Scarlet Street (1945)

January 17, 2023
Washington County Sheriff Sam Hill to Retire After 38 1/2 Years of Law Enforcement

Washington County Sheriff Sam Hill to Retire After 38 1/2 Years of Law Enforcement

January 17, 2023

Settlement with Google Over Location Tracking Practices

January 11, 2023
Vermont Historical Society Receives $210,000 From Sanders In Omnibus Spending Package for the Vermont History Center

Vermont Historical Society Receives $210,000 From Sanders In Omnibus Spending Package for the Vermont History Center

January 11, 2023
Just Some Thoughts

She Smiled at Me

January 11, 2023
  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
Sunday, January 29, 2023
The World Online
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The World Online
No Result
View All Result

The Theory of Everything

vt-world by vt-world
December 8, 2014
in Max's View
0

*1/2

For most of human history, people imagined that the earth is at the center of the universe; or at least that the earth is a significant part of the universe.

The great astronomers and cosmologists of the 20th Century completely shattered humanity’s earth-centric view.

We already knew that our planet is dwarfed by the sun. The sun is about 1.3 million times larger than the earth. Like any other average 5 billion year-old star, the sun is a fiery nuclear furnace that fuses hydrogen into helium to create massive amounts of light and heat.

Later we learned that the sun is just one of 200 to 300 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

More recently, astronomers dropped an even bigger scientific bombshell. It turns out that the Milky Way is just one of at least 100 billion observable galaxies.

They are unimaginably far away.

The nearest star to our solar system, Alpha Centauri, is more than 25 trillion miles away. The chances that there is life elsewhere in the universe is close to 100%. But our chances of ever visiting one of the other planets with life is pretty much zero.

In other words, the notion that the earth is big, meaningful, and centrally located isn’t just incorrect; it is absurdly wrong. In the grand scheme of things, a human is no larger, longer living, or more important than an amoeba.

No living man has taught us more about the nature of faraway stars and galaxies than Stephen Hawking. He published a best selling book on cosmology. Even Albert Einstein never did that.

But Stephen Hawking is even better known for his illness. At age 21, while earning his doctorate at Cambridge, Hawking was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Doctors told him that he would entirely lose the ability to walk, speak, and control his muscles and that he would be dead in two years. They were half right.

“The Theory of Everything” largely ignores Dr. Hawking’s uplifting contributions to science. Instead, it shows his depressing descent from healthy young man to wheelchair bound mute invalid and the awful effect it had on his marriage.

That’s a shame. Because while Dr. Hawking’s theories are interesting, his personal life really isn’t. This is like a biopic about Lou Gehrig that only has two scenes set at Yankee Stadium.

Viewers like me who are fascinated by astronomy and hoping for a science lesson will be terribly disappointed. “The Theory of Everything” taught me almost nothing.

All I learned is the cruel coincidence that the man who helped us understand the vast majesty of the universe knows all too well how fragile and finite a human body can be.

Previous Post

When Pigs Fly…Pardon Howdy!

Next Post

Reiss's Pieces

Next Post

Reiss's Pieces

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This Week’s Ads

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
The World
403 US Route 302
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: (802) 479-2582

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

No Result
View All Result
  • Art Exhibits
  • Audit and Reader Surveys
  • Births
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Daily Horoscope
  • Fall Guide
  • Food & Recipe
  • Home
  • Obituaries
  • Ongoing Events
  • Pay Your Bill Here
  • Senior Living Edition
  • Showtimes
  • Submit Birth Announcement
  • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
  • Submit Engagement Announcement
  • Submit Listing to our Local Directory
  • Submit Sports News/Photo
  • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Testimonials
  • The World Coupons
  • Weather Forecast
  • World Deadlines
  • World Distribution Map
  • World Rate Card
  • World Rates and Ad Sizes
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Vermont Lottery
  • Advertising Information
  • The World Staff
  • Advertising Inquiry
  • Submit Letter To The Editor
  • Local Directory
  • Poll Results
  • Local Deals
  • Classifieds
  • Submit An Article To The World
  • Events
  • The World – This Week’s Online Digital Edition
  • The World Auto & Sports

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In