Brief Answers to the Big Questions

“[R]eal science can be far stranger than science fiction, and much more satisfying.”

Hawking witnessed—and made—scientific discoveries that capture the imagination. The universe, when examined, often reveals truths that are almost beyond imagination. The known details about black holes—perhaps the strangest phenomena in the cosmos given their central, powerful, and essentially infinite gravity, which even light cannot escape—reveal attributes almost impossible to visualize and puzzle scientists and philosophers alike. Myths of old, of human-like gods and monsters, pale in comparison. Sci-fi writers must struggle to envision things as strange as those found in nature.

“I have spent my life travelling across the universe, inside my mind.”

The author’s career changed physics, yet he never visited the black holes that were central to his theories. He didn’t need to venture out into the cosmos to develop the equations that explain many of the biggest events in the universe. Although Hawking’s mobility relied on a wheelchair in his later decades, his mind freely soared through the billions of light years in his intellectual playground.

“[T]he world would soon grind to a halt if we all tried to do theoretical physics. But most people can understand and appreciate the basic ideas if they are presented in a clear way without equations.”

Hawking knows that most people don’t need to understand calculus or trigonometry, or comprehend how a physics lab works, to grasp scientific discoveries. Researchers must know those things, but all can understand the results when they’re put into plain language. The author believes that science has an obligation to communicate important findings to the public.