The question is why did Stephen Hawking put this question to the public? Was it simply for personal amusement? Was it to make some kind of point? If so what was the point? Was it simply because he has not been able to find the answer with him himself? What exactly does the question mean, i.e. is there something deeper to his question than we first see? It may appear at first a pessimistic question but is he in fact trying to attest the contrary, i.e that there is plenty in this world to be optimistic about, based on the fact that he knows he will have tens of thousands of answers essentially concluding there is tens of thousands of ways the human race will continue to flourish into the next century? This question is simply to answer why Stephen Hawking asked such a question to the world?
2006-07-08 05:52:11 · 11 answers · asked by aussie_east_ender 2 in Social Science ➔ Other - Social Science
According to an Associated Press article, Hawking posted a question because he was "one of 10 celebrity questioners Yahoo solicited as part of its "Ask the Planet" campaign."
His question is a marketing gimmick to expose the public to Yahoo's newest service and to get people more involved in using the service.
Considering how many responses he has received and how many new questions have been asked in relation to his post (including this one), I would have to say the campaign is working as Yahoo intended.
2006-07-09 06:57:06 · answer #1 · answered by LovingMother 4 · 10⤊ 2⤋
Obviously, for advertising yahoo! Answers when he asked:
"In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?"
Due to the fact that Humans, in nature, have an innate sense of self preservation and adaptation, I believe that the human race will continue to grow and prosper for longer than 100 years, which is 4 or 5 generations from now if my family reproduced every 24 years.
When I was 14 in 1976, my science teacher Mr. Block taught us that in our lifetime we would see global worming and possibly the next pandemic. And I am happy to see that someone out there is now teaching this to the masses.
Humans in nature are an adaptable species, and if we are slow to adapt to global warming like driving hybrid cars and not living next to the ocean, I don't believe it will get out of hand and inialte the human species.
We have already adapted to global disasters like Chernobyl (which is still inhabited) and New Orleans sinking back into the sea (The people moved). If you go further back into history (which has a silly habit of repeating itself), you will find that the very nature of the human species is to adapt to the ever changing world around us. Look at the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, or 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, or Windscale, and you will see that although many perished, humans always rebound and rebuild.
2006-07-09 08:46:02 · answer #2 · answered by JazzViolin37 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Can someone please tell me where I can find his question posted? (category, etc)
As for why he asked the question in the first place, I believe it's simply because he wants to know the answer. None of us can answer this question, so does that mean it should not be asked? Of course not....Only by asking the unaswerable questions can we make the impossible possible. If Stephen Hawking had never asked "what really are black holes", we wouldn't have half the knowledge we do now. When a species stops asking "why", and "how", and most especially, "why not" than they are truly doomed.
2006-07-09 12:25:41 · answer #3 · answered by wickedblonde 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because the premise of Yahoo! Answers is that humans as a group are smarter than any single human and any computer. The hope is that there will be some really creative, thought provoking answers (and maybe even THE answer). I'm just sorry I didn't hear about it until the question was closed.
2006-07-08 10:52:44 · answer #4 · answered by bknabe 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think the question is a bit senseless. None of us will be living 100 years from now anyway so how are we supposed to answer such a thing even remotely true. The only answer I can think to give him is we will live like human beings trying to survive our time on this earth. I'm not sure what kind of answer he was looking for with that question. No one knows what the future holds, we just have to take it one step at a time.
2006-07-08 06:13:47 · answer #5 · answered by Nico 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Yahoo stuff often take a well know celebrity to ask a question on Yahoo answers. The purpose is to promote the yahoo.answers website?? Currently they have asked 24 celebrites?? So almost each month you will certainly find a question of a well know person??
thanks
2006-07-08 05:57:52 · answer #6 · answered by New User 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fodder for a new book?
Seriously, he's pretty smart, and he is actively looking to reduce the amount of perceived suffering on this planet, so why not allow him to use the single biggest community of intelligence ever assembled to assist him.
My .02
2006-07-08 07:38:53 · answer #7 · answered by Singularity 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps he wante to get people thinking about the fate of our species in the future and how we should take better care of each other and ourselves.
2006-07-08 05:56:48 · answer #8 · answered by Methlehem 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
He's just testin' your noggin. Obvously, its a very open-ended question...
2006-07-08 06:57:51 · answer #9 · answered by youloveben 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They try to make us compute harder for a solutin 'cause time is short.
2006-07-08 06:28:32 · answer #10 · answered by eSoul 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋