[General] Is Stephen Hawking is a GREAT scientist

[Thomas Andersen]

John,

I am convinced that black holes do not evaporate. There is a problem - not in the math - but in the fact that the physics behind the math requires quantum mechanics to hold at energies exponentially higher than the Planck energy. Indeed there needs to be modes of energy with energies higher than the mass of the universe in order for solar mass black holes to evaporate. See my post Adam Helfer – Black hole evaporation? – the trans-Planckian problem <https://gravityphysics.com/2017/06/17/adam-helfer-black-hole-evaporation-the-trans-planckian-problem/> .

I like the idea that a great scientist needs to have experimental verification, of one of their main ideas. 

--Tom

> On Jul 9, 2017, at 4:17 PM, Hodge John <jchodge at frontier.com> wrote:
> 
> I was asked if Stephen Hawking is a GREAT scientist. I said no.
> 
> This was part of a discussion about Philosophy of Science. I am aware he made a prediction about black holes evaporating and that he has made and lost several bets. To my knowledge the evaporating prediction has not been unambiguously verified by observation. Has he made a confirmed prediction not predicted made by other models?
> 
> A great scientist must have a unique prediction verified by experiment the also rules out competing models. Newton (in my view) was not a great scientist until the delayed return of Halley's comet.
> 
> The group is not composed of practicing scientist.
> 
> What do you think and why? (a Philosophy of Science question).
> Hodge 
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