The Grand Design

Physicists Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow argue that the laws of physics alone can account for the origin of the universe, with no need to invoke God. They trace scientific thinking about the cosmos from the Ionian Greeks, who held that nature follows laws, to Copernicus, and explain their ideas through everyday examples, mythology and films such as The Matrix. The authors present model-dependent realism, top-down cosmology and the multiverse, the idea that ours may be one of many universes with different laws. They also assess eleven-dimensional M-theory and ask whether it is the unified theory Einstein sought. Within days of its release in the United States it led the Amazon.com sales chart.

Benjamin Humphrey said Hawking explains complex ideas through smart metaphors, and that it underscores the vast scale of the cosmos and how short the time is for making an impact and enjoying life.