Quote:
Originally Posted by troutman
When I think of Hawking’s passing, I don’t see his spirit rising up out of his wheelchair to be free, because I don’t see his disability as something he needed to be freed from. Instead, I take comfort in the knowledge that wherever he is now, whether it be among the cosmos or in a black hole of nothingness, his disability is with him.[/I]
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Er, okay, well, that's all fine and good for you, but do you have any idea if Hawking himself felt that way? I mean, his situation is different from some, in that his paralysis progressed over a period of decades. I mean, I appreciate the sentiment, as it's no doubt empowering to internalize a disability rather than treat it like something that's holding you back, but I'm not sure that can be projected onto others.
Either way, one thing I feel can be said with some certainty: he would probably prefer that people talk about him and remember him for his contributions to physics and cosmology, not his health or disability.