Brief Answers to the Big Questions, Stephen Hawking
Brief Answers to the Big Questions, Stephen Hawking
61 Rating(s)
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Brief Answers to the Big Questions

Bestseller

Author: Stephen Hawking

Narrator: Ben Whishaw, Garrick Hagon, Lucy Hawking

Unabridged: 4 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/16/2018


Synopsis

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The world-famous cosmologist and author of A Brief History of Time leaves us with his final thoughts on the biggest questions facing humankind.

“Hawking’s parting gift to humanity . . . a book every thinking person worried about humanity’s future should read.”—NPR

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Forbes • The Guardian • Wired

Stephen Hawking was the most renowned scientist since Einstein, known both for his groundbreaking work in physics and cosmology and for his mischievous sense of humor. He 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 later life he could communicate only by using a few facial muscles, but he continued to advance his field and serve as a revered voice on social and humanitarian issues.

Hawking not only unraveled some of the universe’s greatest mysteries but also believed science plays a critical role in fixing problems here on Earth. Now, as we face immense challenges on our planet—including climate change, the threat of nuclear war, and the development of artificial intelligence—he turns his attention to the most urgent issues facing us.

Will humanity survive? Should we colonize space? Does God exist? ​​These are just a few of the questions Hawking addresses in this wide-ranging, passionately argued final book from one of the greatest minds in history.

Featuring a foreword by Eddie Redmayne, who won an Oscar playing Stephen Hawking, an introduction by Nobel Laureate Kip Thorne, and an afterword from Hawking’s daughter, Lucy, Brief Answers to the Big Questions is a brilliant last message to the world.

Read by Ben Whishaw, with the foreword read by Garrick Hagon and the afterword read by Lucy Hawking 

Praise for Brief Answers to the Big Questions

“[Hawking is] a symbol of the soaring power of the human mind.”—The Washington Post

“Hawking’s final message to readers . . . is a hopeful one.”—CNN

“Brisk, lucid peeks into the future of science and of humanity.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Hawking pulls no punches on subjects like machines taking over, the biggest threat to Earth, and the possibilities of intelligent life in space.”—Quartz

“Effortlessly instructive, absorbing, up to the minute and—where it matters—witty.”—The Guardian

“This beautiful little book is a fitting last twinkle from a new star in the firmament above.”—The Telegraph

About Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking was a brilliant theoretical physicist and is generally considered to have been one of the world’s greatest thinkers. He held the position of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge for thirty years and is the author of A Brief History of Time, which was an international bestseller. His other books for general readers include A Briefer History of Time, the essay collection Black Holes and Baby Universes, The Universe in a Nutshell, The Grand Design, and Black Holes: The BBC Reith Lectures, as well as the books in the George’s Secret Key series. He died in 2018.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Khurram on February 21, 2025

A great book by a great man. I had heard the name Stephen Hawking but never read any of his theories. Simply for the very reason, the something coming from the smartest men of the previous 2 generations would be overly complicated and beyond my understanding. What I discovered in this book is Stephe......more

Goodreads review by Emily on June 17, 2019

Quick book answering some Big Questions while learning a bit more about Stephen Hawking. Is there a God? Is there other intelligent life in the universe? Is time travel possible? Will artificial intelligence outsmart us? It was great - recommend the audiobook too!......more

Goodreads review by Valeriu on May 30, 2024

Nu pot pretinde că stăpînesc vocabularul unui fizician teoretic, așa încît nu am priceput unele sintagme. În pofida științei mele aproximative, răspunsurile la cele 10 întrebări fundamentale mi s-au părut limpezi. De ce trebuie să le punem? Așa, pur și simplu, pentru că sîntem ființe foarte curioase......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on June 03, 2023

Stephen Hawking Stephen Hawking was an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist who's considered one of the most brilliant scientists since Albert Einstein. In addition to making huge contributions to physics, Hawking strove to share his discoveries with the general public, and his book "A Brief......more

Goodreads review by Giorgio on October 22, 2018

Why 3 stars if the book is well-written? Well, there is NOTHING NEW. He just said again and again what he always said... Maybe it should be sold as "Hawking in 90 minutes" or "Hawking for Dummies"... Yes, his life was really RICH in experiencies, and pain, and fight to overcome an ammount of things that......more


Quotes

“It’s a book every thinking person worried about humanity’s future should read. . . . Hawking’s parting gift to humanity.”—NPR
 
“[Hawking is] a symbol of the soaring power of the human mind.”The Washington Post
 
“Hawking’s final message to readers . . . is a hopeful one.”—CNN
 
“[Brief Answers to the Big Questions offers] brisk, lucid peeks into the future of science and of humanity.”—The Wall Street Journal
 
“Hawking pulls no punches on subjects like machines taking over, the biggest threat to Earth, and the possibilities of intelligent life in space.”—Quartz
 
Brief Answers is effortlessly instructive, absorbing, up to the minute and—where it matters—witty.”—The Guardian
 
“This beautiful little book is a fitting last twinkle from a new star in the firmament above.”The Telegraph