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timtyler comments on SUGGEST and VOTE: Posts We Want to Read on Less Wrong - Less Wrong Discussion

15 Post author: lukeprog 07 February 2011 02:51AM

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Comment author: timtyler 08 February 2011 12:48:40AM *  4 points [-]

Hawking did this analysis in the first edition of A Brief History of Time - though he made a complete mess of it - and concluded that time will start going backwards when the universe stops expanding!

I remember back when I read this at university, I thought: Boltzman will be turning in his grave. I also remember immodestly thinking: here's a smart, famous scientist - and even spotty teenage I could see what a ridiculous argument he was making - in about two seconds.

Comment author: LukeStebbing 08 February 2011 05:05:15AM 1 point [-]

When I re-read A Brief History of Time in college, I remember bemusedly noticing that Hawking's argument would be stronger if you reversed its conclusion.

A note to myself from 2009 claims that Hawking later dropped that argument. Can anyone substantiate that?

Comment author: timtyler 08 February 2011 08:09:59AM *  3 points [-]

He has also edited A Brief History of Time to remove the howler. See page 64 for the updated text.