Brief Answers to the Big Questions
Ratings107
Average rating4.2
I've gained a massive amount of respect towards Stephen Hawking after reading this.
I feel that one thing that this book does very well is that it reads like you were sitting next to Stephen Hawking and he would tell you this amazing story, somewhat like a teacher enthusiasticly explaining concepts to fresh students.
Physics is hard. You will want to pay a little extra attention through the first few chapters as they are focused on key physical concepts related to the universe. Stephen has a few witty jokes from now and then and they reflect the personality we've been accustomed to seeing on TV. In the second half it flows smoothly. It was really nice to read about how one idea led to the next one and the next one and so on and on here we are and these are currently the questions the scientists are asking in order to try and provide the answers to the big questions.
I believe it is a great book for people who rarery touch upon such complex subjects as the Big Bang, black holes, intelligence in the cosmos, artificial intelligence and a few others and want to grasp an overview of these matters. It will make you more confident around scientific subjects. It might even be a door-opener towards some of his other works.
There's absolutely no reason to dislike the book, however if you are aware about humanity's progress in science and technology for the past decades and are keeping track with the ideas discussed in our current times in these fields then this book will not take you very deep.
That is the magic of it, because it brings up big ideas in an accessible manner.
In an ever-faster moving world we rarely take time to consider the importance of our quest to answer such big questions that have followed us through space and time.
I'd be lying if I said I understood all of this book, but it was nice to be blinded by science and leave it feeling just a little bit more clever.
This is a good introduction to some big ideas in science and technology. Hawking touches on a bunch of subjects from a super quick overview of a variety of future looking ideas, including AI, space travel, aliens, and black holes. Because it's so brief on a lot of the topics, it wasn't really the book for me, but I do think it would be worth it to someone who isn't looking for the same depth I want.
I did find the afterword which was a tribute from Lucy Hawking to her father pretty moving.
Thought it was a very interesting and easy to grasp book on topics that usually seem unreachable. Not only that there is a level of wit that adds to its quality and entertainment value. Would recommend it to anyone. (Writing this review ages after reading)
Hawking is a rockstar of the science world. He's probably one of the few modern physicists that most people can name, and not just because of his iconic wheelchair and popular books: Hawking has been at the very front of our growing knowledge about the universe over the last handful of decades. Something you may not know is that he's quite funny as well. See this interview from British comedian John Oliver:
JO: “You've stated that there could be an infinite number of parallel universes. Does that mean that there's a universe out there where I'm smarter than you?”
SH: “Yes, and also a universe where you're funny”
So I was very glad to receive this as a seminary graduation present, and it's a perfect fit for me: one of the great minds in modern science engaging with the big-picture questions that I entertain a lot. And aside from an early chapter about religion - pretty disappointing that he engages with straw men arguments - this is excellent stuff: incredible writing about the future of science and technology and how they'll affect the human species. He's also my level of an optimist: he still believes in growth and change, but doesn't undersell the challenges we face. This is best summed up in my favorite line: “
“Our future is a race between the growing power of our technology and the wisdom with which we use it. Let's make sure wisdom wins.”
A handful of other things I think he's really right about:
He believes in space exploration without falling into the rich scientists' trap of ignoring problems here on earth.
His thoughts on the importance of increasing science education as technology encompasses more of our lives is spot-on: “A world where only a tiny super-elite are capable of understanding advanced science and technology and its applications would be, to my mind, a dangerous and limited one... [that likely would have bad priorities]”
As our tech has become exponentially more powerful over the last few centuries, the stakes keep rising (the invention of the first few guns was high-stakes for a region, but the atomic bomb is high-stakes for whole countries). And with the coming advent of AI, we really need to be ready. As he puts it, “The advent of super-intelligent AI would either be the best or the worst thing ever to happen to humanity. We cannot know if we will be infinitely helped by AI, or ignored by it and sidelined, or conceivably destroyed by it.” It's the only threat comparable to climate change, and we need significantly more research done NOW on how to make sure its goals are aligned with ours.
His discussion of the weirdness of quantum mechanics in the essay called “Can we predict the future?” is one of the better short intros you'll find on the topic.
Cons:
His first chapter, called “Is There a God?” was really disappointing to me. Over and over again, I found myself asking, “Has he actually spoken to any educated Christians?” Look, religion is something that speaks to the deepest sense of what it means to be a human. Anyone is allowed to have opinions about it, regardless of their background or pedigree. I'm not asking for him (or anyone) to take full classes on Thomas Aquinas, which is a luxury not available to all. But he repeatedly leaned on tired cliches and betrayed that he was talking about the “old wizard in the sky” kind of God. I wanted some Christian in his life to take just a moment to say, “I don't believe in that God either.” I'm glad this was the only chapter like that, but wish it was later in the book so I could recommend it to others more easily.
After a long read something related to science. The questions and answers you find in this book make you think. I don't know some scientists name mentioned. I loved it.
A great book - for everyone (not only those who are interested in science) a must-read. I liked how Hawking answered these questions so well-reflected and explaining the reasoning in a manner that a general audience without a physics background could understand it.
It conveys also an important message, we should never stop being curious and try to understand the world around us. There is much more to take out from this book than just a better understanding of the universe.
Haven't read the brief history of time, so this one was Stephen's first book I read.
The book offers brief (profound nonetheless) answers to possibly the ten biggest questions we as humans could ask.
He does not waiver when conveying his thoughts about God, and just states the facts for what they are, plain old science.
Am not the only person who has admired this genius for a long long time.
I may not have understood all that he has said in his documentaries or his book, but just the fact that a human being, despite all the odds not being in his favor, has contributed to understanding the universe and is considered Newton and Einstein's peer all done in borrowed time, is a super hero.
To quote Obama, Have fun out there among the stars.
“So remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don't just give up. Unleash your imagination. Shape the future.”
As always, Stephen, with your intelligence, eloquence, wit and empathy, you have floored me. You will be missed. Couldn't look at your picture at the end of the book without breaking into tears.