Book SummaryBrief Answers to the Big Questions, by Stephen Hawking

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Brief Answers to the Big Questions

In Brief Answers to the Big Questions, prominent astrophysicist Stephen Hawking discusses science, philosophy, human destiny, and how they relate to each other. Writing at the end of his career, Hawking offers his readers some final words of wisdom on the issues he considers most important. (The book was published by his family and colleagues shortly after his death.)

Hawking builds his discussion around ten questions, but his answers to some of these questions are sufficiently intertwined that we’ll combine many of them for ease of comprehension....

Brief Answers to the Big Questions Summary Why We Don’t Need God

Hawking begins with a discussion of God, observing that the concept of God is closely related to the question of how the world began. He explains that our ancestors looked to religion for an explanation of the origin of the universe as well as how reality works in the present. In ancient times, people attributed the creation of the universe, the seasons, the phases of the moon, natural disasters, and many other things to the often-fickle actions of God or gods.

Hawking asserts that today, science provides better explanations for these phenomena than religion does, making the concept of God unnecessary. He doesn’t claim to have proof of God’s non-existence. But he says that the universe follows a set of inviolable natural laws, which would constrain the actions of any god who might exist, and therefore the existence of a god who could change the events of the world according to a personal whim, as many religions believe, would not be possible. Science is the study of these natural laws. As such, science gives you a better understanding of how the universe works and where it came from than religion does.

Hawking concedes that you could call the natural laws “God.” After...

Brief Answers to the Big Questions Summary We Must Inspire the Next Generation of Scientists

Having explained where we came from, Hawking then turns his attention to where we’re going. He expects that humankind will face a number of challenges in the not-so-distant future and emphasizes that scientific literacy will be increasingly important to help people navigate these challenges.

Why will scientific literacy be so important for our future wellbeing? Two issues that Hawking discusses in particular are the ongoing evolution of the human race and the expansion of human civilization into outer space. Both these issues present us with a variety of technical questions or challenges that have broad implications for society, and we will need a new generation of technical experts to develop solutions to these challenges. Furthermore, as society is faced with ethical and political decisions that increasingly have a technical element to them, even non-scientists will need an increased level of scientific literacy to understand the issues as they contribute to society’s decision-making process.

Where Science and Politics Meet

Many people have observed, often with concern, that science is becoming increasingly politicized. Some argue that this is detrimental both...

Shortform Exercise: Reflect on the Big Questions

In this guide, we’ve discussed Hawking’s perspective on a number of “big questions,” such as the existence of God and the future of humankind. Now we’ll give you a chance to consider them for yourself.

Hawking asserts that science has made the concept of “God” unnecessary by offering better answers to the question of human origins than religion ever did. However, as we also noted, some people contend that religion still offers a more complete answer to the question of human origins. What do you think? What role, if any, do you think a supernatural creator played in the origin of life, humanity, or the universe? Why?