Statue for Hawking

SIR – Why not put a statue of Stephen Hawking on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square?

It would be an inspiration to many. Mark Moss

Cambridge

SIR – I hope one of the many strands of Hawking’s legacy will be that any young person, child or baby diagnosed with a degenerative condition will receive all the help they need to live a long life. Gerry Dorrian

Cambridge

SIR – Unlike some of his fellow scientists, Stephen Hawking went fairly gently on believers.

Probably best styled as an agnostic rather than a hardline atheist, Hawking was memorable for his mention of “the mind of God” in his book A Brief History of Time . This was a phrase that spawned a considerable amount of helpful thinking on the relationship between religion and science.

As he grew older, Hawking clearly became increasingly doubtful of the traditional view of God. His tone, however, was always courteous.

The Rev Andrew Mcluskey Staines, Surrey