# Why hasn't Stephen Hawking been knighted?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [December 30, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990 "2009-12-30T01:07:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/1 "2009-12-30T01:07:21Z")
The guy has done loads for physics (probably the best-know physicist amongst the general public), and was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics for 30 years until he retired from it in October. Have Elton John or Patrick Stewart contributed to the world as much as Hawking? I mean, Arts are important. But it seems (just from casually picking up the background noise) that singers and actors are getting all of the knighthoods. Shouldn’t Hawking be knighted for his contributions to Science?
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### Author:  [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/2 "2009-12-30T01:10:09Z")
Perhaps he’s already been offered an honour and refused.
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### Author:  [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/3 "2009-12-30T01:27:34Z")
My immediate thought was that perhaps they were waiting for him to die to award him that particular honour. Wikipedia suggests he got his CBE in 1982, so certainly enough time has passed for him to get something else.
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### Author:  [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/4 "2009-12-30T01:36:35Z")
> [@Cunctator](#):
>
> Perhaps he’s already been offered an honour and refused.
This. He turned it down 10 years ago.
[Article](http://www.v3.co.uk/vnunet/news/2219626/stephen-hawking-turns).
There’s a list of people who have declined honours on [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declining_a_British_honour).
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/5 "2009-12-30T01:44:53Z")
> [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](#):
>
> This. He turned it down 10 years ago.
>
> [Article](http://www.v3.co.uk/vnunet/news/2219626/stephen-hawking-turns).
Fine! If you’re going to turn it into GQ! :mad:
Thanks for the answer. I had not heard of that. (Though I do recall hearing something about him complaiing about funding.)
I guess there’s no debate.
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### Author:  [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/6 "2009-12-30T02:09:51Z")
So, its just not the way he rolls?
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### Author:  [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/7 "2009-12-30T02:12:06Z")
Did you know that he wouldn’t have been born in a country with socialized medicine? ZOMG! The thought gives me night sweats!
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### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/8 "2009-12-30T02:47:40Z")
He’s something called a [Companion of Honour](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Companions_of_Honour), which actually carries more weight than a knighthood, because there’s no upward limit to knighthoods, while there can only be a finite number of Companions of Honour living at one time.
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### Author:  [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/9 "2009-12-30T02:50:41Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Professor Hawking does not like titles. In fact he dislikes the whole concept of them," a spokesman told The Times.
Maybe they mean titles of nobility. I just find it kind of funny that someone referred to as a professor has a problem with titles.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/10 "2009-12-30T03:01:05Z")
> [@elucidator](#):
>
> So, its just not the way he rolls?
Go to your room.
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/11 "2009-12-30T03:34:05Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#):
>
> He’s something called a [Companion of Honour](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Companions_of_Honour), which actually carries more weight than a knighthood, because there’s no upward limit to knighthoods, while there can only be a finite number of Companions of Honour living at one time.
Interesting.
Though I find it rather funny that that particular title sounds more like a polite title for favored prostitute than any other thing I can think of at the moment.
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### Author:  [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/12 "2009-12-30T03:39:49Z")
Of course he turned it down. Can you imagine him in a joust?
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### Author:  [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/13 "2009-12-30T03:48:04Z")
He’d look like coleslaw if someone tried to knight him. It would be a bloodbath.
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/14 "2009-12-30T15:57:51Z")
Wouldn’t he have to kneel?
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/15 "2009-12-30T16:02:46Z")
And slaying a dragon would be right out.
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### Author:  [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/16 "2009-12-30T17:26:16Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#):
>
> Did you know that he wouldn’t have been born in a country with socialized medicine? ZOMG! The thought gives me night sweats!
His disease did not start exhibiting signs until college. [Stephen Hawking - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking#Illness)
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### Author:  [@whorfin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whorfin)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/17 "2009-12-30T19:05:51Z")
> [@CaveMike](#):
>
> His disease did not start exhibiting signs until college. [Stephen Hawking - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking#Illness)
I think you may have missed the point–since **R\_W** is referring to the right wing anti-health care reformers who argued that Steven Hawking “wouldn’t have had a chance” in a country with socialized healthcare–which would have viewed someone with his handicaps as “essentially worthless.” Perish the thought of losing such a scholar to socialism–Hawking should be so glad to not have lived in the UK for his entire life; he’s so much safer in England. 🙂
> **[Stephen Hawking Enters U.S. Health Care Debate](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stephen-hawking-enters-us_n_257343)**
>
> Stephen Hawking Enters U.S. Health Care Debate
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### Author:  [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/18 "2009-12-30T21:19:57Z")
> [@whorfin](#):
>
> I think you may have missed the point–since **R\_W** is referring to the right wing anti-health care reformers who argued that Steven Hawking “wouldn’t have had a chance” in a country with socialized healthcare–which would have viewed someone with his handicaps as “essentially worthless.” Perish the thought of losing such a scholar to socialism–Hawking should be so glad to not have lived in the UK for his entire life; he’s so much safer in England. 🙂
I got that point, but the word ‘born’ made me think he ‘wouldn’t have had a chance’ even earlier. I took it to mean he would have been aborted if they detected his ALS in the womb.
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### Author:  [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2009, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/19 "2009-12-31T04:49:29Z")
Interesting that he’s refused a nighthood but accepted a different honour. I wonder what his reasons are?
> [@CaveMike](#):
>
> I got that point, but the word ‘born’ made me think he ‘wouldn’t have had a chance’ even earlier. I took it to mean he would have been aborted if they detected his ALS in the womb.
No, [this](http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2009/08/10/it-doesnt-take-stephen-hawking-to-figure-this-one-out/)is the quote:
> [@](#):
>
> “People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn’t have a chance in the U.K., where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless,” the editorial claims.
That’s talking in the present, not about theoretical abortions.
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### Author:  [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-stephen-hawking-been-knighted/522990/20 "2009-12-31T17:02:16Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#):
>
> That’s talking in the present, not about theoretical abortions.
I responded to this statement about the past:
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#):
>
> Did you know that he wouldn’t have been born in a country with socialized medicine? ZOMG! The thought gives me night sweats!
To point out that Hawking was born seemingly healthy – a fact that not everyone knows about. That’s pretty much the only point I was making and it was meant as an aside.
If there is political hay being made out of socialized medicine and his illness, I’m not really interested.
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