Although he was already in his seventies, he didn't see much of the steadiness that an elder should have. Whether it was the way he walked or the habit of looking around, he was more like a sixteen-year-old child.
But when Jiang Chen thought about it, if he was in a wheelchair for decades, he might be more active than Hawking.
Just as Jiang Chen looked at the back of the old man, Hawking turned his head and looked at him with his slightly funny face. He said in a mocking tone.
"Then Mr. Executive, if you have any questions, please ask them as soon as possible. You are a big shot with hundreds of thousands of dollars per second. You shouldn't have too much time to waste on campus. "
Jiang Chen smiled noncommittally, and after a moment of silence, he asked.
"3.7 billion years ago, if there really was a civilization that existed for 3.7 billion years, what would they have developed into?"
"This question is very interesting. What do you think the dinosaurs would have developed into if they were given 100 million years?" Hawking did not directly answer Jiang Chen's question, but threw out another question.
"Are dinosaurs a civilization?" Jiang Chen asked rhetorically.
"Are ants a civilization? Are bees a civilization? Do birds in the sky have their own society? Maybe they do, but we can't understand them, or we have never taken them seriously. " Hawking shrugged and said, "Arrogance is one of the attributes of civilization. Those weaker than us become slaves, those weaker become food, and those who can't even be food are regarded as insects."
Speaking of this, Hawking suddenly grinned.
"We are very lucky. At least our civilization has attracted the attention of our neighbors and has not been ignored by them as dispensable insects."
"You call this luck?" Jiang Chen smiled bitterly.
He would rather those insects treat him as an insect rather than crossing the distance of 20.5 light years to kill him.
"Of course it is luck. The Indians at least had the opportunity to fight back against the European colonists, but will the insects have that opportunity? Stop, look, you almost trampled that little life to death. " Hawking reached out and pulled Jiang Chen. Under Jiang Chen's surprised gaze, he pointed at his feet. "Yes, I mean that ant. If I didn't remind you, you wouldn't even notice. You won't communicate with it, and you won't care about what it's thinking about. You won't even pay attention to whether they've made any technological breakthroughs in their nesting techniques. "
With that, Hawking grinned, squatted down, picked up a dead branch, and placed it in front of an ant.
The little ant was confused by the sudden obstacle. The antennae on its head swayed back and forth. In the end, it chose to go around the side …
"We've been taught a lot of common sense in our lives, but common sense is often just another word for prejudice."
Hawking turned his head and looked at Jiang Chen.
"Do you think it will think about why this branch is blocking its way?"
"Do you think I should answer this question from a philosophical perspective or from a scientific perspective?" Jiang Chen said helplessly.
I'm not an ant. How would I know if it knew that this branch would block its way?
Hawking smiled and turned his head. He looked at the ant walking around the branch and continued.
"It has nothing to do with philosophy or science. If I have to say, it should be cosmology."
Jiang Chen felt his mouth twitch.
"Cosmology?"
"That's right. The definition of cosmology is the study of the universe as a whole and extends to the discussion of human's position in the universe. It can't be regarded as philosophy, and of course, it can't be regarded as science, but it's related to both. "
Hawking reached out and picked up two branches, blocking on both sides of the ant, and surrounded it.
"If you came an hour earlier, you should have been sitting in the classroom and listening to me talk about Fermi's Paradox and the Sieve of the Universe. But unfortunately, you missed that lively and interesting public elective class. But it's not too late. If you treat me to pine cone pie, I — "
"No problem, it's okay to eat as much as you want," Jiang Chen said quickly.
Hawking smiled and pointed to the triangular cage made of branches on the ground. It took him three seconds to complete his "masterpiece."
"This branch is the cosmic sieve it is facing. If it goes around it, it can survive. If it thinks it through, then it can become a different ant. If it is blocked … "
After a pause, Hawking slowly stood up and patted the dust on his clothes.
"It will starve to death here."
After listening to Hawking's words, Jiang Chen frowned. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and his lips opened and closed thoughtfully.
"Fermi's Paradox, Sieve of the Universe …"
Jiang Chen seemed to have grasped something in his mind, and his eyes gradually lit up.
Just then, he noticed that the ant extended its tentacles to the branch. Trapped in the triangular cage and unable to find a way out, it began to try a new idea and climbed over the branch. However, from beginning to end, it didn't realize, or didn't even think about, who was manipulating the obstacles in front of it.
"Now I'll answer your question. You asked me how far a civilization can develop in 3.7 billion years. I can't answer you, unless you can tell me what they encountered in these 3.7 billion years. "
"On a time scale of billions of years, trouble is always endless. Natural disasters, diseases, wars … In fact, these are all small problems. Just like this branch, no matter how many more branches come, it will eventually be able to pass. "
Looking at the ant that successfully climbed over the branch, Hawking laughed.
"Of course, it's not always so lucky, especially when it encounters a temperamental 'God'."
Hawking lifted his foot and stepped on the ant and the triangular branch under his foot …
…
After chatting with Hawking for a while, Jiang Chen felt that he had figured out a lot of questions.
Not only the civilization 3.7 billion years ago, but also the extraterrestrial civilization 20 light-years away. The questions that he couldn't figure out or were hesitant about were all answered at this moment.
After arriving at the cafeteria, Jiang Chen paid for the meal and ordered two pies for the old man.
To be honest, he really didn't know what was so delicious about this sweet thing, but Grandfather Huo, who was sitting across from him, was chewing it with relish. He could only lament the difference in food culture. Based on the principle of not wasting food, Jiang Chen had to use a fork to dismember the portion on his plate and patiently eat it one bite at a time.
What a miscalculation. I forgot that this guy is from the UK, a pioneer of dark cuisine!
"Don't force yourself if you can't finish it." With his legs crossed, Hawking stuffed a piece of pie into his mouth with his fork, and his wrinkles twisted together.
Jiang Chen suddenly felt that the old man's smile was too despicable.
"No, I don't have an appetite."
Jiang Chen finally gave up the plate with more than half of the pie left, threw the fork into the plate, and after saying goodbye to Hawking, he picked up the plate and walked to the dining car at the door.
Because the car was parked under the teaching building, he had to return the way he came.
However, just as he passed through the mall, he found that a group of students had formed a circle on the lawn and set up a temporary stage. It looked very lively.
Driven by curiosity, Jiang Chen walked two steps in that direction and stopped a passing student. He pointed in that direction and asked.
"What are they doing there?"
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