A few days ago I was sent a curious question:
Hello. Why do you think a prominent scientist like Stephen Hawking was never awarded the Nobel Prize? Do you think he deserves it?
Let’s find out together.
First, since Nobel prizes are not given posthumously, the question of whether or not Hawking deserves a Nobel is now purely speculative.
Did Stephen Hawking deserve a Nobel Prize during his lifetime?
I am about to say something that may cause a storm of outrage, but in general the media has created a somewhat detached image of Stephen Hawking. And this media Stephen Hawking is a far greater scientist than the real Stephen Hawking.
It is important to emphasize here that Stephen Hawking was an incredible man who was able to achieve amazing results in spite of his serious illness. His personal example is incredibly inspiring and motivating, and his scientific work is fascinating.
However, in the public mind, Hawking, thanks to the media attention, is hardly one of the greatest physicists of all time. For example, I am often asked whether Hawking is a greater scientist than, for example, Einstein, Newton, or Feynman.
