To explain the workings of the universe without equations to keen readers is challenging, to say the least. This is exactly what Stephen Hawking undertakes in his last, eminently readable work. He tackles 10 intriguing questions in 10 chapters — ‘Is there a God?’, ‘How did it all begin?’ and so on — these questions lead you on a thought-provoking journey into the universe, into the mind of a man who travelled far and wide into the universe despite being trapped in a frail body. We know Stephen Hawking as a brilliant scientist and an extraordinary human being who conquered his disability and won hearts. In Brief Answers to the Big Questions, we meet a story-teller par excellence who can weave a tale of the most complex scientific findings in a comprehensible language and engaging humour.
The foreword by Eddie Redmayne, who played Stephen Hawking in the film Theory of Everything , and the Introduction by Nobel Prize winner Professor Kip Thorne add a human touch. The first three chapters are perhaps the most accessible, for those not steeped in science, though an ambitious reader could go on to try a few more. To appreciate the rest, readers may require a deeper interest in physics. But for those who make the effort, a reward is in store.
In the chapter ‘Is there other intelligent life in this universe?’ Hawking mentions the so called ‘redundant-DNA’. Though he only uses this concept to estimate the amount of information humans pass on through their DNA, he is not quite correct in dismissing these as ‘redundant’ in his calculation. Recent research shows that what was believed to be ‘junk-DNA’ is in fact active and relevant. Still this is a passing remark and the real value of the book is in understanding concepts which he himself has set out to develop, as in ‘Can we predict the future?’ and ‘What is inside a black hole?’. Even in the chapters that go beyond known science, such as, ‘Will we survive on Earth?’, ‘Should we colonise space?’, ‘Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?’, ‘How do we shape the future?’, he dazzles readers with his creative arguments and imagination.
What the book tells you is how humans have made progress in understanding the universe and all it contains, where it is heading and how it came into being. How many writers can, alongside, spin the tale of their own scientific research? Stephen Hawking writes himself into the stars with Brief Answers to the Big Questions.
Brief Answers to the Big Questions ; Stephen Hawking, Hachette India, ₹650.
