Stephen Hawking is one of those rare luminaries whose life symbolizes the best

humanity has to offer. The image of a brain traveling to the confines of space and
time, diving deep into some of the biggest mysteries of science while imprisoned in a
wheelchair, excited the public imagination. World-renowned physicist Stephen
Hawking, who died March 14, 2018, at 76.
Under the guise of a simple question, Hawking has managed to take the reader on a
whistle-stop tour of the quantum world (bottom line: no we can’t predict
everything). It’s a clever ruse. Ask a simple question and you’ll draw in readers who
might otherwise not know they’d be interested in complex science.

The book includes 10 questions, starting with "Is There a God?" and ending with the
very inspirational "How Do We Shape the Future?"
Within these pages, he provides his personal views on our biggest challenges as a
human race, and where we, as a planet, are heading next. Each section will be
introduced by a leading thinker offering his or her own insight into Professor
Hawking's contribution to our understanding.
Is there a God?

If you accept, as I do, that the laws of nature are fixed, then it doesn't take long to
ask: what role is there for God?

How did it all begin?

We are the product of quantum fluctuations in the very early universe.

Is there other intelligent life in the universe?

I shall take this [intelligent life] to include the human race, even though much of its
behaviour throughout history has been pretty stupid and not calculated to aid
survival of the species.

What is inside a black hole?

Black holes are stranger than anything dreamed up by science-fiction writers, but
they are firmly matters of science fact.

Is time travel possible?

There was a young lady of Wight

Who travelled much faster than light
She departed one day
In a relative way
And arrived on the previous night.
How do we shape the future?

If you know how something works, you can control it.

 Is there a God?

No. Everything can be explained by the laws of nature. Matter and energy and space
were spontaneously created by the Big Bang.

- What came before the Big Bang?

This is a meaningless question because there was no 'before' the Big Bang. Time
(actually space time) was created BY the Big Bang. It's like asking 'what is south of
the South Pole? Space time (which is warped by the presence of solid matter) was
formed by the Big Bang.

There's no 'south' of the South Pole

- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?

We don't know (yet) but Hawking likes to think there are other forms of intelligent
life out there. They just haven't contacted Earth....perhaps because they're too far
away.

In any case, meeting an advanced civilization would be unadvisable (for us).

Remember European settlers and American Indians? If aliens came here it would be
like the film 'Independence Day.'

-Can we predict the future?

No. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle dictates that we can't know both the
position and momentum of a particle at the same instant. Thus we can't predict what
will happen to a particle (or things made of particles) at a future time. Hawking
observes: “No matter how powerful a computer you have, if you put lousy data in you
will get lousy predictions out.”

- What is inside a black hole?

A black hole - which is single point of infinite density - is a star that's exhausted its
nuclear fuel and collapsed.....but no one REALLY knows what's inside.

- Is time travel possible?

Theoretically yes. If space time was warped enough to form a loop, time travel would
be possible. However, it time travel WAS possible, someone from the future would
probably have come back to visit us already.

In 2009, Hawking held a party for time travellers in his college at Cambridge, for a
film about time travel. No one came.😊

- Will we survive on Earth?

Not forever. Hawking argues that we are setting ourselves up for catastrophic failure.
The rapid increase of the global population with the consequent need for ever more
energy and food, our unstoppable encroachment into natural habitats, the huge
amounts of air pollution due to the burning of fossil fuels, growing income disparity,
cultural entrenchment — all of these combine into an explosive formula for disaster
He believes, even if not without worry, that we will develop a positive relationship
with intelligent machines and that, together, we will redesign the current fate of the
world and of our species.
For all of this to happen, we need to wake up — and fast. We must rethink our
relationship with the planet and how we use its resources. We must rethink our
relationships with one another and with other living creatures. We must disarm
nuclear weapons. We must end hunger and share our wealth more justly. We must
revamp science education worldwide to inspire the young to pursue careers in
research so that solutions to our challenges will be found.

- Should we colonize space?

Yes. In order to survive long term, humans need to colonize other planets. This won't
be cheap. Hawking helped initiate a research and engineering project called
'Breakthrough Star shot", which strives to develop spacecraft capable of reaching the
star system Alpha Centauri - which is 4.37 light-years (about 26 trillion miles) away.

Hawking believes that in the next hundred years humans will be able to travel to the
inner planets of the solar system and in 500 years we will have visited the nearest
stars.

*This book will stand as Hawking’s manifesto. Optimistic, upbeat and visionary, it
sees science – and scientific understanding – as vital for the future of humanity.
Some may criticize Hawking's optimism and trust in humanity's wisdom and
scientific prowess as naïve or too simplistic. To that he would probably ask, in his
computerized voice and with a twinkle in his eyes, "And what would you suggest
instead?"
His final words in the book are beautifully inspiring:

So remember to look up at the stars and not at your feet. Try to make sense of what
you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however
difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It
matters that you don't just give up. Unleash your imagination. Shape the future.
I can't think of a better prayer for each of us.