Book Review: "Brief Answers to the Big Questions", by Stephen Hawking

The final book written by the late Professor Hawking is both a beautiful tribute to such an amazing mind and an eyeopener to the application of cosmology onto everyday questions. The book consists of four main sections a foreword by Eddie Redmayne (the actor who played Hawking in the film "the Theory of Everything), an introduction by Kip Thorne (a fellow theoretical physicist and friend of Hawking), then there is the main body of the book written by Hawking himself and finally an afterword written by his daughter Lucy Hawking. The parts written by Hawking's friends and family describe the true nature behind the mind which we then get to see in the main body and although this is Hawking's book it is most definitely a tribute to the wonderful life which he led.

(From here onwards I will be discussing the main body written by Professor Hawking) Hawking begins with an introduction, not just to the book but to himself, he describes the challenges which he has faced in his life as well as the joys. He discusses the impact his disability (ALS) has had on his life but also thanks it in a way because it made him begin to take more charge with his life as he viewed each day a "bonus" following doctors telling him he only had two years to live at the age of 21. Following the introduction we descend into the really meaty bit, the answers to all our questions.

In the next ten chapters Professor Hawking answers ten of the seemingly impossible questions for us plebians of society. The questions are as follows:

1. Is there a god?

2. How did it all begin?

3. Is there other intelligent life in the universe?

4. Can we predict the future?

5. What is inside a black hole?

6. Is time travel possible?

7. Will we survive on earth?

8. Should we colonise space?

9. Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?

10. How do we shape the future?

Hawking answers these questions in a witty and lighthearted manner even given the sometimes heavy subject matter, from the end of the world due to climate change to the end of the world due to the take over of AI it really covers many possible outcomes of society. In the same way it also covers the beginning of our Universe through the Big Bang and everything in between. From space travel to black holes.

Even with my somewhat basic knowledge of physics (in comparisons to great minds like Hawking and Einstein basic could even be an understatement) I could easily understand the majority of the book, granted there were some ideas which I could only grasp very basically on the first read, but, overall the book is very accessible. Kudos to Hawking for making such complex topics become more approachable to the public.

Here are some quotations which I loved:

• "I am very aware of the preciousness of time. Seize the moment. Act now" (from the introduction), this quotation comes from the section where Hawking is discussing his realisation of the "preciousness" of life and how he could no longer spend his life in a kind of limbo of academia and nothing. This quotation speaks to me as oftentimes we sit back and watch life happen to us, we no longer become the driving force of our own lives. It forces you to consider your relationship with your own life, and although you have not essentially been given a life sentence from a doctor you do still need to get the most you can out of life.

• "What was God doing before he made the world? Was he preparing hell for people who asked such questions?", this lighthearted joke relating to belief in god made me chuckle on a cold January afternoon more than it should. It is taken from the chapter in which Hawking explains why he does not believe in a god and I think it accurately sums up his ideas.

• "The human race does not have a very good record of intelligent human behaviour", this quotation is taken from the section where Hawking discusses the potential for intelligent life within space. Following the events of 2020 and the so called "covidiots" this quotation has never rung more true. As society becomes more advanced the opportunities for people to do stupid things has increased and many have taken the opportunity whole heartedly.

• "Creating innovative and accessible ways to reach out to the widest young audience possible, and inspiring the new Einstein. Wherever she may be.", this is taken from the final page of Hawking's written section and I could not think of a better way to finish off such an inspiring book. This quotation reminded me of why I myself want to become a scientist: to make the world a better place and to inspire those after me. Following the introduction of lockdowns across the UK morale has been at an all time low and it is in moments like this quotation where you are forced to remember why you do what you do. As a 17-year-old hopeful scientist I feel this quotation almost speaking to me and the other teenagers who will inevitably read this book, it is nice to know that such a wonderful physicist is behind us and cheering us on even after death.

Overall this book is both a beautiful read in the sense that it does exactly what it says on the tin, it answers impossible questions in an approachable way and in the sense that it is well and truly inspiring, from Hawking learning to overcome his disability to him reaching out to his younger audience. Hawking is really a wonderful writer and I will definitely be reading his other publications when I have the chance.