DC Public Library System

Brief answers to the big questions, Stephen Hawking

eng

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Brief answers to the big questions

1061287316

Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking was recognized as one of the greatest minds of our time and a figure of inspiration after defying his ALS diagnosis at age twenty-one. He is known for both his breakthroughs in theoretical physics as well as his ability to make complex concepts accessible for all, and was beloved for his mischievous sense of humor. At the time of his death, Hawking was working on a final project: a book compiling his answers to the "big" questions that he was so often posed--questions that ranged beyond his academic field. Within these pages, he provides his personal views on our biggest challenges as a human race, and where we, as a planet, are heading next. Each section will be introduced by a leading thinker offering his or her own insight into Professor Hawking's contribution to our understanding. The book will also feature a foreword from Academy Award winning actor Eddie Redmayne, who portrayed Hawking in the film The Theory of Everything, and an afterword by Hawking's daughter, Lucy Hawking, as well as personal photographs and additional archival materialKnown both for his groundbreaking work in physics and cosmology as well as for his mischievous sense of humor, Hawking educated millions of readers about the origins of the universe and the nature of black holes, and inspired millions more by defying a terrifying early prognosis of ALS, which originally gave him only two years to live. In this collection of essays he turns his attention to some of the questions he heard repeatedly. Will humanity survive? Should we colonize space? Does God exist? Hawking shares his final thoughts on some of the biggest challenges facing us. -- adapted from back cover

Foreword / Eddie Redmayne -- An introduction / Kip Thorne -- Why we must ask the big questions -- Is there a God? -- How did it all begin? -- Is there other intelligent life in the universe? -- Can we predict the future? -- What is inside a black hole? -- Is time travel possible? -- Will we survive on Earth? -- Should we colonise space? -- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us? -- How do we shape the future?

adult