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Prof John Lennox said:
In 1687, Isaac Newton formulated his Law of Universal Gravitation in his seminal work, Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica:
Newton postulated G as a constant whose exact value was discovered decades later. The unit for G is not acceleration; little g = 9.8 m/s² is the gravitational acceleration on the planet Earth. G and g are quite different. He understood the concept of gravity as it was related to the attractive force between two masses.
In 1915, Albert Einstein formulated his General Theory of Relativity field equation:
Einstein redefined gravity not as a force but as the curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy. His field equations describe how massive objects like stars and planets bend spacetime, and objects follow curved paths within this distorted geometry. He saw gravity as a relation to space-time curvature geometrically. The gravity of a black hole was so strong that at the event horizon, nothing could escape from a black hole, not even light. That's not quite true.
In 1984, Stephen Hawking bridged general relativity (gravity) and quantum mechanics:
Near the event horizon, black holes can slowly lose mass by emitting Hawking radiation. In his book The Grand Design (2010), he suggests that gravity is a fundamental force that allows the universe to create itself from nothing. In his view, the gravitational field has negative energy, which can counterbalance the positive energy of matter, allowing the total energy of the universe to be zero. According to quantum mechanics, particles and energy can spontaneously appear and disappear in a vacuum due to quantum fluctuations. Hawking extended this idea to the entire universe, suggesting that the universe itself could arise from a quantum fluctuation. This begs for the search for a theory of quantum gravity.
In all three formulas, G is the universal gravitational constant. G, at the time of Newton, was the same as it is today. We don't know what gravity is exactly, but we can measure its effect. However, Hawking's understanding of the effect of gravity in the context of his equation differed significantly from Newton's three centuries earlier. Newton understood gravity at the level of apples, planets, and stars. Hawking tried to figure out gravity at and inside a black hole at the quantum level. They did not see the very same law of gravity.
Dr Lennox also said:
There are other scientists who push for the extreme position. Dr H Allen Orr wrote]:
Did Newton and Hawking have the very same law of gravity as claimed by Lennox?
No. In his statements, he failed to distinguish between the universal gravitational constant and the effect of gravity; further, like Orr, he failed to distinguish between science and scientists.
Emphasis added. Actually, Newton and Hawking did not have the very same law of gravity. That's an oversimplification, conflating the gravitational constant with its effect.
In 1687, Isaac Newton formulated his Law of Universal Gravitation in his seminal work, Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica:
Newton postulated G as a constant whose exact value was discovered decades later. The unit for G is not acceleration; little g = 9.8 m/s² is the gravitational acceleration on the planet Earth. G and g are quite different. He understood the concept of gravity as it was related to the attractive force between two masses.
In 1915, Albert Einstein formulated his General Theory of Relativity field equation:
Einstein redefined gravity not as a force but as the curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy. His field equations describe how massive objects like stars and planets bend spacetime, and objects follow curved paths within this distorted geometry. He saw gravity as a relation to space-time curvature geometrically. The gravity of a black hole was so strong that at the event horizon, nothing could escape from a black hole, not even light. That's not quite true.
In 1984, Stephen Hawking bridged general relativity (gravity) and quantum mechanics:
Near the event horizon, black holes can slowly lose mass by emitting Hawking radiation. In his book The Grand Design (2010), he suggests that gravity is a fundamental force that allows the universe to create itself from nothing. In his view, the gravitational field has negative energy, which can counterbalance the positive energy of matter, allowing the total energy of the universe to be zero. According to quantum mechanics, particles and energy can spontaneously appear and disappear in a vacuum due to quantum fluctuations. Hawking extended this idea to the entire universe, suggesting that the universe itself could arise from a quantum fluctuation. This begs for the search for a theory of quantum gravity.
In all three formulas, G is the universal gravitational constant. G, at the time of Newton, was the same as it is today. We don't know what gravity is exactly, but we can measure its effect. However, Hawking's understanding of the effect of gravity in the context of his equation differed significantly from Newton's three centuries earlier. Newton understood gravity at the level of apples, planets, and stars. Hawking tried to figure out gravity at and inside a black hole at the quantum level. They did not see the very same law of gravity.
Dr Lennox also said:
More precisely, Newton formulated an equation to calculate the attractive force between two objects using the universal gravitational constant, G. At best, he discovered a law concerning gravitation.
I've never heard Hawking say that false dichotomy. More precisely, he wrote:
He argued that science could explain the universe’s origins without requiring a divine cause, a position called scientific naturalism.
He didn't claim that scientists could not believe in God—only that science didn't require God as an explanation. He never stated that belief in God and being a scientist were mutually exclusive. Lennox overinterpreted Hawking's statement concerning science to scientists.
There are other scientists who push for the extreme position. Dr H Allen Orr wrote]:
By "exceptionalism", he referred to "miracles", i.e., if you are a scientist who believes in supernatural miracles, you are not a sensible scientist.
Did Newton and Hawking have the very same law of gravity as claimed by Lennox?
No. In his statements, he failed to distinguish between the universal gravitational constant and the effect of gravity; further, like Orr, he failed to distinguish between science and scientists.
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