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London (CNN) There is no God -- that's the conclusion of the
well-known physicist Stephen Hawking, whose final book is published on Tuesday.
The book Brief Answers to the Big Questions,
which was completed by his family after his death, presents answers to the questions
that Hawking said he received most during his time on Earth.
Other bombshells(爆炸性事件)the British scientist left his readers
with include the belief that alien life is out there, artificial intelligence could
outsmart humans and time travel can't be impossible.
"There is no God. No one directs the universe," he
writes in the book." For centuries, it was believed that disabled people like
me were living under a curse by God," he adds. "I prefer to think that
everything can be explained another way, by the laws of nature."
While Hawking spoke of his lack of belief in God during his life,
several of his other answers are more surprising. "There are forms of intelligent
life out there," he writes. "We need to be cautious about answering back
until we have developed a bit further."
"Travel back in time can't be ruled out according to our
present understanding," he says. He also predicts that "within the next
hundred years we will be able to travel to anywhere in the Solar System."
In remarks prepared by Hawking and played at the launch of the
book in London on Monday, the scientist also turned his attention to the world he
was leaving behind. His greatest concern, his daughter said, "is how divided
we've become," adding ,"He makes this comment about how we seem to have
lost the ability to look outward, and we are increasingly looking inward to ourselves."
Hawking's final message to readers, though, is a hopeful one.
Attempting to answer the question "How do we shape the future?", the scientist
writes, "Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet."