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mattseaborn's review against another edition
3.0
I was hoping to get some insight into M-Theory, but the book seemed to be a history of relevant parts of physics and a justification of Model Dependant Realism.
Fairly entertaining reading but I am no wiser for reading it.
Fairly entertaining reading but I am no wiser for reading it.
rolandwolfheart's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
A bit dense and technical but it promotes several important ideas:
1. The world is more complicated than we think. If a random lay person claims to understand how the universe came about and quantum physics, they probably don't.
2. We don't need a God or creator to explain the world and universe.
3. Just because an unlikely event happened does not mean the world was finely tuned to have that event occur. Think of the lottery, the probability of winning is very low, yet people win. That doesn't necessarily mean the lottery was "fine tuned" to allow that person to win.
Would need to read this again with a physics or astronomy buddy but overall an interesting read.
1. The world is more complicated than we think. If a random lay person claims to understand how the universe came about and quantum physics, they probably don't.
2. We don't need a God or creator to explain the world and universe.
3. Just because an unlikely event happened does not mean the world was finely tuned to have that event occur. Think of the lottery, the probability of winning is very low, yet people win. That doesn't necessarily mean the lottery was "fine tuned" to allow that person to win.
Would need to read this again with a physics or astronomy buddy but overall an interesting read.
caseywright's review against another edition
5.0
“Why is there a universe and why is the universe the way that it is?” This book investigates the scientific theories presented through time and does so in any easy to understand, yet thorough way. I love reading Stephen Hawking books and this one is my favorite so far!
odbasford's review against another edition
5.0
I honestly thought I understood general relativity, quantum mechanics, the Uncertainty Principle, the multiverse, etc... but reading this not only revealed my previous ignorance, it did a decent job of bringing me up to speed! Each chapter starts with a historic perspective on a certain principle of modern physics (which is good, because historically speaking everyone started out simplistic and wrong), and then slowly builds through solid explanations and diagrams until you get a basic grasp on modern understanding of the issue, from which Hawking extends to a logical conclusion. Two small critiques:
- I think Hawking watches 24/7 video feeds of random Londoners. Throughout the books he makes somewhat painful attempts at "everyman" humor that, although funny, somehow miss the mark and make him seam detached.
- WTF is up with the last two pages!? I had to read the end multiple times, and it really lacked the clear train of logic presented in other parts of the book. Was this rushed to the press, and had to be finished in a hurry? A bit of a shame since it promises to be the real pay-off of the book.
Despite the awkward ending, a wonderful science non-fiction.
- I think Hawking watches 24/7 video feeds of random Londoners. Throughout the books he makes somewhat painful attempts at "everyman" humor that, although funny, somehow miss the mark and make him seam detached.
- WTF is up with the last two pages!? I had to read the end multiple times, and it really lacked the clear train of logic presented in other parts of the book. Was this rushed to the press, and had to be finished in a hurry? A bit of a shame since it promises to be the real pay-off of the book.
Despite the awkward ending, a wonderful science non-fiction.
canttalknow_reading's review against another edition
4.0
I've read a lot of general science/physics/cosmology books and it's to Stephen Hawking's credit that he can so easily and eloquently teach me a new way of looking at the world. The synthesis of the 'many worlds' hypothesis with M-theory and how that can fit into a grand design was inspiring. Stephen Hawking truly is a great thinker of our time.
in_between_pages's review against another edition
3.0
Hmmmmm..
I enjoyed the science part of this book. Universe. Cosmology. Physics. M-Theory. All that.
But the book fails to deliver. It seems incomplete. It didn't really answer the 'why' questions about life it posed. Even if it tried, it completely failed and wasn't convincing at all ! I thought the last chapters would show me something about Hawking. It only convinced that such things are beyond the grasp of a human mind. The answers Hawking seems to provide do nothing more than provoke more 'why' questions.
If you want to read this book, read it for the science part. Nothing more.
I enjoyed the science part of this book. Universe. Cosmology. Physics. M-Theory. All that.
But the book fails to deliver. It seems incomplete. It didn't really answer the 'why' questions about life it posed. Even if it tried, it completely failed and wasn't convincing at all ! I thought the last chapters would show me something about Hawking. It only convinced that such things are beyond the grasp of a human mind. The answers Hawking seems to provide do nothing more than provoke more 'why' questions.
If you want to read this book, read it for the science part. Nothing more.
alanvonlanthen's review against another edition
3.0
a bit disappointing actually. Not as good as his previous books. And the point about god wasn't convincing (even though I'm an atheist...)
antonioneme's review against another edition
4.0
A superb book. My opinion is that Mlodinow is taking the book towards a more quantitatively area, with an in-depth explanation, at the time that Hawking is trying to lead the reader to a more physolophical perspective.