"The human race is just a chemical scum on a moderate-size planet." Science expert and extremely smart guy Stephen Hawking said this, so of course it must be true . . really? That's actually a big philosophical statement, not a scientific statement.
Celebrities and experts can be (gasp) wrong, especially when they speak outside their field of expertise. Hawking's claim is that humanity has no transcendent meaning or importance, that there's nothing more to a human being than the chemicals that make up the body.
It's the point of view, the faith, of a materialist. Science icon Carl Sagan said it this way, "The cosmos is all that is, or ever was, or ever will be." His claim is backed by his charisma, his compelling rhetoric, his confident celebrity prestige.
But it's a faith claim coming from his chosen point of view. He's completely confident that nothing - like God for instance - exists if it's not the natural universe.
(cont'd tomorrow)
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