Will science ever verify a theory of everything making philosophy and the love of wisdom obsolete? Will this theory of everything prove the necessity for a Source of existence as describe by Plato and Plotinus or will it prove God as an imaginary ideal?Stephen Hawking, the renowned physicist, has declared that “Philosophy is dead”.
Speaking to Google’s Zeitgeist Conference in Hertfordshire, the author of 'A Brief History of Time' said that fundamental questions about the nature of the universe could not be resolved without hard data such as that currently being derived from the Large Hadron Collider and space research. “Most of us don't worry about these questions most of the time. But almost all of us must sometimes wonder: Why are we here? Where do we come from? Traditionally, these are questions for philosophy, but philosophy is dead,” he said. “Philosophers have not kept up with modern developments in science. Particularly physics.”
Prof Hawking went on to claim that “Scientists have become the bearers of the torch of discovery in our quest for knowledge.” He said new theories “lead us to a new and very different picture of the universe and our place in it”.
"To restore to science as a whole, for mathematics as well as psychology and sociology, the sense of its origin and veritable destiny as a bridge leading toward God---not by diminishing, but by increasing precision in demonstration, verification and supposition---that would indeed be a task worth accomplishing." Simone Weil
Was Simone right in her belief that when science is dedicated to the pursuit of truth as opposed to pragmatic concerns, its goal will include being open to establishing a connection with the source of science giving objective meaning to science?