Scientists as comedians: Stephen Hawking

Time, the universe and parked cars...

A few weeks ago I featured a collection of quotes from Albert Einstein which showed that as well as being a scientific genius, Einstein perhaps also fancied himself as a bit of a comedian.

Einstein isn't the only scientist with a sense of humour, and another scientist known to make the occasional amusing remark is Stephen Hawking. Some of his quotes might not read that funny, but when you listen to Stephen actually saying them, his robotic straight laced voice only adds to the humour...

1) The end of the world

When giving a lecture in Japan, Stephen was asked not to mention the end of the universe in case it affected the Japanese stock market. This was his response:

"I don't know if or when the universe will end, but for those of you who are nervous about your investments, I think it's a bit early to sell."

2) Alien cover-up

"If the government is covering up knowledge of aliens, they are doing a better job of it than they do at anything else."

3) Fame

"I cannot go anywhere in the world without being recognised. It is not enough for me to wear dark sunglasses and a wig. The wheelchair gives me away."

4) Eternity

"Eternity is a long time, especially towards the end."

5) Parallel Universes

John Oliver: "You once stated that there could be an infinite number of parallel universes, so theoretically there could be a universe where I’m smarter than you."
Stephen Hawking: "Yes, and also a universe where you're funny."

Ten dimensional parking might prove to be a struggle
for some people, such as the car owner pictured above,
who found three dimensional parking tricky enough.

6) Predeterminism

"Even people who claim everything is predetermined and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road."

7) Intelligent life

"In the universe it may be that intelligent life is fairly rare. Some would say it has yet to occur on Earth."

8) Ten dimensions

"The idea of ten dimensions might sound exciting, but they would cause real problems if you forget where you parked your car."

9) Gravity

"Back in 1277 Pope John IXX felt so threatened by the idea of laws of nature that he decreed them a heresy. Unfortunately that did nothing to change the law governing gravity. A few months later the palace roof collapsed and fell on the Pope's head."

10) Humour

And finally, a quote from Stephen Hawking which recognises the importance of humour:

"Life would be tragic if it weren't funny."

You can find a collection of Einstein quotes at the link below:
The wisdom of Einstein