[Simon Green]

I think the best perspective would be to judge the man’s work in his field on its merits, and ignore what he said on matters such as theology or politics.

[boop]

"I think the best perspective would be to judge the man’s work in his field on its merits, and ignore what he said on matters such as theology or politics."

Perfect answer!

One of the greatest minds of the 20th century, Albert Einstein, was CONSTANTLY asked his "opinions" on all kinds of matters.

He was fantastic on mathematical and physics issues, just like Hawking, but he was a big fat moron on anything outside of his expertise.

Cheez Whiz, Einstein escaped the Nazis, yet he thought "socialism" was just peachy.

[pcottraux]

I think the best perspective would be to judge the man’s work in his field on its merits, and ignore what he said on matters such as theology or politics.

In an ideal world. Hawking's problem is similar to that of other atheists like Sam Harris or Richard Dawkins. That they know a lot about their respective fields (neurology and zoology) I don't doubt. The problem is that when one "feels like" a genius who's ahead of their time, they tend to assume themselves as an expert on everything. When Harris or Dawkins attack religion on theological grounds, the emperor has no clothes. They don't even see how embarrassingly ignorant they are on the subject. I hope I come across with more self-awareness in my writing.