Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays
Written by Stephen Hawking
Narrated by Simon Prebble
4/5
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About this audiobook
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
THIRTEEN EXTRAORDINARY ESSAYS SHED NEW LIGHT ON THE MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE-AND ON ONE OF THE MOST BRILLIANT THINKERS OF OUR TIME.
In his phenomenal bestseller A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking literally transformed the way we think about physics, the universe, reality itself. In these thirteen essays and one remarkable extended interview, the man widely regarded as the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Einstein returns to reveal an amazing array of possibilities for understanding our universe.
Building on his earlier work, Hawking discusses imaginary time, how black holes can give birth to baby universes, and scientists' efforts to find a complete unified theory that would predict everything in the universe. With his characteristic mastery of language, his sense of humor and commitment to plain speaking, Stephen Hawking invites us to know him better-and to share his passion for the voyage of intellect and imagination that has opened new ways to understanding the very nature of the cosmos.
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.
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Reviews for Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays
246 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In this book Hawking talks about his life and about his major areas of interest in his researches. The book is a collection of updated essays and speeches concerning the cosmology and related topics. Hawking explains scientifically, and explains his explanations using a clear and understandable language. Like always, Steven Hawking makes even the most complex theory sound simple.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Another entertaining book of Stephen Hawking beliefs and mere speculation. Others believed it, but do they have a choice. What? Is believing about unproven unknown is science. I don't believe in his speculation and belief. Well if that is the case, science is all about faith.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A long drive called for a good audio book. Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays by Stephen Hawking fit the bill. Hawking is the famous physicist who also has ALS.
Hawking published this book in 1993, five years after he published his bestseller A Brief History of Time.
I wanted to post this review as soon as I could while I could still remember and sort of understand the gist of what Hawking was saying. The first 1/4 of the book is autobiographical, him explaining his upbringing and love for cosmology. The rest are a compilation of essays and lectures he gave to various groups over two decades.
Hawking's research has primarily been on black holes. Much of what we know/suspect about black holes can be attributed to him. I'm awed by the mathematical concepts that had to be invented to do the research that he and other physicists do. There's a point where mathematics becomes philosophical-- and that is the deep soul of physics and cosmology.
His lectures always point to the quest for the grand unified theory of the universe (GUT). This is the one theory that will explain how everything in the universe works. As the years in the lectures progress, it becomes obvious to me that the GUT becomes a sort of deity, Hawking has said if we can know it we "can know the mind of God." It raises all sorts of philosophical questions about predestination and free will.
Here's the main point I got from the book and Hawking's work: If the universe is unlimited in scope then the laws of physics were the same at its creation as they are now. The universe was not created nor can be destroyed--it just is.
However, if the universe is actually limited in scope, then the laws of physics didn't apply at its creation as they do today. Some outside entity must be responsible for its creation.
Hawking believes the former, and I'm betting on the latter.
Hawking invented something called imaginary time. Kind of complex to attempt to explain here, essentially imaginary time is the sum of all possible points in time. Think about alternate realities, all the possible variations of possible histories. If you look at things through the lens of imaginary time (which is a heavy mathematical concept) then things like the Big Bang no longer become troublesome singularities where the laws of physics don't apply, but become like any other event in history.
Interestingly, Hawking believed in 1992 that the GUT was only about 20 years away, and inhabiting other planets less than 100 years away. Looks like is probably wrong on those. Apparently, new research has led Hawking to change his mind on some of his beliefs, and published another book recently. I've read recently about a high-powered particle accelerator being built to test several theories in physics. One guy in Hawaii is actually suing to get the scientists to stop because he fears they will create a black hole here on earth. The work of that particle accelerator will have profound implications for all of science, however.
This book reminded me that in talking about Biblical creation you have to start at the very beginning--when the universe was created. I think most Biblical creation apologists are biology-oriented and therefore don't have the mathematical understanding needed to develop a good Christian apologetic against theories like the ones Hawking purports. There are a few really good redeemed physicists out there, however. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Now nearly 20 years old, Stephen Hawking's collection of essays are rather a mixed bag. Some of his personal stories about his youth and contracting ALS have been repeated to some extent in other works, most of this I heard before. The quantum physics still causes glassy eyes, more so than the astrophysics anyway. On a windy day like today, though, the book had me contemplating whether a black hole the size of a proton (containing the mass of a mountain) could serve as a paperweight and keep the book from blowing shut.Hawking is probably the most unique, remarkable scientist in human history -- not just for his achievements, but considering the debilitating handicap he has managed to overcome. I'll keep reading his stuff because comprehension seems so close...but my brain short circuits when I try to connect all of the dots (especially quantum dots).
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- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5These essays reveal not only more of Hawking's thinking, but more of Hawking himself. A fine read.
1 person found this helpful