Sir Roger Penrose OM FRS (born 8 August 1931) is an English mathematical physicist, mathematician and philosopher of science. He is the Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Oxford, as well as an Emeritus Fellow of Wadham College.
Penrose is known for his work in mathematical physics, in particular for his contributions to general relativity and cosmology. He has received several prizes and awards, including the 1988 Wolf Prize for physics, which he shared with Stephen Hawking for their contribution to our understanding of the universe.
His deep work on General Relativity has been a major factor in our understanding of black holes. His development of Twistor Theory has produced a beautiful and productive approach to the classical equations of mathematical physics. His tilings of the plane underlie the newly discovered quasi-crystals.
Sir Roger Penrose has something of a reputation as a maverick physicist as he often finds himself challenging the current philosophies and physics of the time, including writing Fashion, Faith, and Fantasy in the New Physics of the Universe which more or less argued everything currently being proposed regarding the origins of the universe and String Theory was rubbish. He is also the father of the controversial argument quantum mechanics was a key component of consciousness, which was disproven, then un-disproven.
- A Wizard Did It: An accusation frequently leveled at Penrose as his theories are often described as basically treating quantum physics like magic (or more precisely, his theories are used by people who enjoy treating it like). This doesn't mean he's wrong, notably. Famously, he challenged Stephen Hawking's attempts to disprove God wasn't necessary for the Big Bang despite being an atheist himself.
- Cool Old Guy: Almost a hundred years old and still making incredible assertions and discoveries.
- Determinator: Has not slowed down one bit. He also maintained his Orch-Or theory in the face of being "disproven" which has since gone to be rendered possibly true again.
- The Gadfly: Known for often going against the grain of accepted theoretical physicist ideas.
- Doing in the Scientist: A real life example where he basically wrote many treatise on the fact consciousness may be irreducible and thus artificial intelligence in programming is impossible.
- Doing In the Wizard: Bizarrely, for a man who has a reputation as a maverick in the field of quantum physics, he often challenges more fanciful physics ideas like the multiverse or String Theory.
- Friendly Rival: Serves as this for Stephen Hawking.
- Odd Friendship: With Stuart Hammeroff, who is Eccentric Mentor for those who study consciousness.
- Quantum Mechanics Can Do Anything: Has been accused of believing this as he's attempted to greatly broaden its role in macrophysics. While some of his beliefs are still controversial, quite a few of them have since been proven correct.
- The Rival: Basically serves as this for Stephen Hawking despite the fact they've often teamed up in the past.
- Sentient Cosmic Force: Doesn't believe in God but has stated to believe in a rule and purpose driven universe."I think I would say that the universe has a purpose, it's not somehow just there by chance ... some people, I think, take the view that the universe is just there and it runs along – it's a bit like it just sort of computes, and we happen somehow by accident to find ourselves in this thing. But I don't think that's a very fruitful or helpful way of looking at the universe, I think that there is something much deeper about it."
- Orch-Or theory of consciousness basically amounts to consciousness being a function of combined quantum physics and gravity with evolution evolving a link to it.
