Stephen Hawking: "We Think We Have Solved The Mystery Of Creation"

I've been watching videos on TED. (Check my sidebar for recent ones.) Here's one by the British physicist Stephen Hawking:

Stephen Hawking - Asking Big Questions About The Universe



It's short, 10 minutes, and to my mind at least, very listenable, even though I know nothing about quantum theory. About 2 minutes in, he describes how "time behaves like another dimension of space." And then:

"This removes the distinction between time and space and means the laws of evolution can also determine the initial state."

At 2:52 minutes in, he says, or at least I think I hear him say:

"The universe can spontaneously create itself out of nothing."

And later:

"We think we have solved the mystery of creation."

Huh.
(There's plenty of conversation about his talk on the site.)
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