In
a dismissal that underlines his firm rejection of religious comforts,
Britain’s most eminent scientist said there was nothing beyond the
moment when the brain flickers for the final time.
Hawking, who
was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 21, shares his
thoughts on death, human purpose and our chance existence in an
exclusive interview with the Guardian today.
The incurable illness
was expected to kill Hawking within a few years of its symptoms
arising, an outlook that turned the young scientist to Wagner, but
ultimately led him to enjoy life more, he has said, despite the cloud
hanging over his future.
“I have lived with the prospect of an
early death for the last 49 years. I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in
no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first,” he said.
“I
regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its
components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down
computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark,” he
added.
Click here to read the rest of this story in The Guardian.
Cheri Fuller and Cindy Lamb Curry 
Marilyn Hickey 
Charisma Staff 
