When I was young, the Christmas presents I coveted the most were a
Junior Chemistry Set and a telescope. I
read as many books on science as I could.
Unfortunately, my math skills resulted in little more than adding
two-digit numbers. There was nearly zero
chance of a career in science. Despite this disappointment, I have never given
up reading about the latest discoveries in the cosmos and in physics. Of course, Stephen Hawking became my hero
when I read his first book, A Brief
History of Time. While my eyes
glazed over at the math, I still could not get enough. Stephen died this year despite a crippling
disease known as ALS. He was given only
a few years to live when he was in his early 20s. He lived far longer than predicted. Now, he has a new book, Brief Answers to the Big Questions.
There is something about the “voice” of his writing that is not
condescending, but relaxing, gentle, and mesmerizing. The book begins with an introduction and
brief biography, which crowned Hawking as “the most renowned scientist since
Einstein, known both for his groundbreaking work in physics and cosmology and
for his mischievous sense of humor,” according to the dust jacket. He even appeared as himself on several
episodes of the hysterically funny comedy, The
Big-Bang Theory.
Hawking starts off with “Why We Must Ask the Big Questions.” He wrote, “People have always wanted answers
to the big questions. Where did we come
from? How did the universe begin? What is the meaning and design behind it
all? Is there anyone out there? The creation accounts of the past now seem
less relevant and credible. They have
been replaced with a variety of what can only be called superstitions, ranging
from New Age to Star Trek. But real science can be far stranger than
science fiction, and much more satisfying” (3).
He starts off boldly with a question as controversial as it is
fascinating: IS THERE A GOD? Stephen
wrote, “Science is increasingly answering questions that used to be the
province of religion. Religion was an early
attempt to answer the questions we all ask: why are we here, where did we come
from? Long ago, the answer was always
the same: gods made everything. The
world was a scary place, so even people as tough as the Vikings believed in
supernatural beings to make sense of natural of phenomena like lighting, storms
or eclipses. Nowadays, science provides
better and more consistent answers, but people will always ling to religion,
because it gives comfort, and they do not trust or understand science” (25).
Of course, Stephen raises another more than interesting question. He wrote, “I would like to speculate a little
on the development of life in the universe, and in particular on the
development of intelligent life. I shall
take this to include the human race, even though much of its behavior
throughout history has been pretty stupid and not calculated to aid the
survival of the species” (67).
Hawking does not pull any punches.
His manner is matter of fact, and to the point. Some other mind-bending questions he poses
and thoroughly disposes of include: “How Did It All Begin?” “Can we predict the future?” “What is inside a black hole?” and one that worries me, “Will artificial
intelligence outsmart us?”
These and other questions are challenging to scientists and
non-scientists alike. Stephen Hawking
will be missed, but, like Einstein, his work has opened new secrets of the
universe, and it may take decades to prove some his hypotheses. His latest book, “Brief Answers to the Big
Questions,” is undoubtedly a challenge.
But it is well worth the effort to learn something about the
universe. 5 stars
--Chiron, 10/30/18
No comments:
Post a Comment