The Impact of Stephen Hawking’s Legacy on Science and Society

1. Introduction

Stephen Hawking was one of the most prominent and influential scientists of our time. His achievements in physics and cosmology rank with the names of Newton and Einstein. Hawking developed groundbreaking theoretical work, technological innovations, and left a lasting socio-cultural legacy that has had an impact on education in particular and on society as a whole in general. His contributions serve and will continue to serve as a source of inspiration to continue advancing as a species. His optimistic view of the universe and his persistent struggle against adversity have generated an extraordinary and inspirational example for all of us. This work aims to visualize the areas of science that have been influenced by the work and legacy of the great physicist Stephen Hawking and the nature of the interactions that have been produced by the permeation of his figure in different contexts. The various academic works that situate the massive social impact generated by the figure of Stephen Hawking are mainly concentrated on describing the nature and intensity of this impact. In this sense, the works of various scholars in both informal education and the transfer of physics, education, popular science, and quantum cosmology represent some of the most complete studies in terms of the socio-cultural aspects that highlight the genius of physics and cosmology. These works allow us to stand out due to the importance, from a scientific and socio-historical point of view, of the context in which the person and the professional trajectory of this character are developed. Hawking became one of the most important scientific figures of the 20th and 21st centuries in terms of his work and the visibility of the same; this has placed him in conversations and topics of different sectors of society such as philosophers, theologians, politicians, and intellectuals from different fields.

1.1. Background of Stephen Hawking

Stephen William Hawking was the head of theoretical physics research at the University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom, and is considered one of the greatest scientists of our time. In addition to famous works such as the theory that demonstrated that black holes are not completely black and that some particles, called Hawking radiation, may be emitted, and the formulation of a cosmological model based on the general theory of relativity, in which time no longer has boundaries and so the universe has no beginning and no end, Hawking wrote books with the aim of disseminating and popularizing science and scientific thinking. One of his most famous books has been translated into 35 languages.

Stephen W. Hawking was born on 8 January 1942, three hundred years after the death of Galileo Galilei. From an early age, he showed a great interest in understanding how the universe works and came to study natural science at the University of Oxford. In 1962, he moved to the University of Cambridge and in 1965 completed his Ph.D. in theoretical physics. In 1974, at the age of 32, Hawking was elected a fellow at the Royal Society, becoming the youngest member of this institution at that time. Due to the development of a motor neuron disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the gradual and cruel reduction of his physical condition was notorious, but it failed to break his determination to do quality physics and research. His ability to conduct research and careful thinking made it possible to establish his theories and have significant repercussions in the known physical world, as we shall see. Hawking died at the age of 76, after many years of struggle against ALS.