From the Bookshelf of Science and Inquiry…

The Grand Design

Stephen Hawking,

Leonard Mlodinow

Start date: January 1, 2011

Finish date: January 31, 2011

Discussion: Book Club 2011

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Book Club 2011

September, 2011: The Blind Watchmaker
By David · 47 posts · 151 views

last updated Jun 21, 2018 05:08AM

April 2011 - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
By David · 32 posts · 163 views

last updated Feb 20, 2017 11:56PM

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What Members Thought

Jul 30, 2010 Cindy rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-reads, science, non-fiction

It's a funny thing being a cosmologist in the greater Los Angeles area. Back when I was a partying single graduate student, I'd frequently hit the town for some fun. Inevitably I'd meet someone, strike up a conversation, and they might ask me what I did for a living.

"Oh, I'm a cosmologist."
"Cosmetologist? Cool, do you do make-up for movies?"
"Um...not unless rouge is a component of dark matter." (ba-da-bum)
"..."
"I make detectors and use them to study the origins and geometry of our universe."
" ...more

360 likes · Like · see review

Mar 24, 2011 Cassandra Kay Silva rated it really liked it

Shelves: science

I expected more from Hawking on this one. Seems like a lot of rehashing of other popular modern physics books, but the content was of course good and the topic interesting as hell. So eh? What can you do.

3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 06, 2010 Mag rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, science, cosmology, physics, favourite-2011

The book attempts to explain what scientists think are the laws of universe, and in particular what the M theory is. The M theory is an attempt at a theory of 'everything' meaning a theory fit to unify laws governing both subatomic particles, energy fields and big bodies, so far an unattainable feat for physicists. It's based on superstring theory and unifies quantum mechanics, general and special theory of relativity, and supports the view that our universe is a part of multiverse- an infinite ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 19, 2010 Libyrinths rated it liked it · review of another edition

Hawking glosses M theory, the successor to superstring theory and quantum gravity (and others). More clearly written than most of his books, but only if you're familiar with most of what he's talking about (IMO). While he's at it, it seems he wants to weigh in on why we don't need God as an explanation for the beginning of the universe. That may be true, but the thing is, parts of M theory are testable -- by observation, by math, and in the future with the LHC -- but it's certainly not yet prove ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 01, 2010 Thom Watson rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, non-fiction, science, cosmology

Extremely disappointing. I'm a great fan of Hawking's earlier works, and I thought this e-book would be a fantastic bargain at $9.99 given that the hardcover price was almost four times as much. But the book is incredibly short, among the very shortest on my Kindles (no longer than the shortest novelettes). And 20% of what length there is consists of an index, with another 4% comprising a glossary and acknowledgments; so fully one-quarter of the book is extraneous. The treatment of the material ...more

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Sep 10, 2010 Rakan rated it really liked it

Shelves: science, 52-books-2011

كتاب رائع لواحد من أعظم العقول البشرية، الفلكي وعالم الفيزياء النظرية البروفيسور ستيفن هوكينج. قام بكتابته مع الفيزيائي ليونار مالدينو.

في هذا الكتاب يعطي هوكينج لمحة سريعة عن تاريخ الكون (أو تواريخ الأكوان!). ويحاول الإجابة عى أسئلة طالما حيرت الفلاسفة والمفكرين منذ القدم:

*لماذا يوجد شيء بدلا من الـلا شيء؟
*لماذا نحن موجودون؟
*لماذا لهذا الكون مجموعة معينة من القوانين وليست قوانين أخرى؟
*كيف بدأ الكون؟ وهل نحتاج إلى إله لتفسير بدايته؟

يتطرق هوكينج في هذا الكتاب إلى شرح آخر ما توصل إليه الفيزيائيون م ...more

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Sep 20, 2010 Felly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book-and-kindle-collection, environment-and-deep-issues, favourite-and-change-my-life, 2011

The book sort of Dawkins' The God Delusion in physics perspective.
Somewhat the explanation is simple and also blatant.
The most provocative one, Hawking states that God doesn't have any intervention with our universe.
In the end, Hawking explains to get know more about universe from Einstein unified theory and human being should find the grand theory design (M - Theory or the theory of everything). ...more

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May 27, 2015 Daniel rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, science

very good book for breaking the, difficult to understand, subject of quantum physics down into more manageable pieces and using that to theorize about the beginning of time at we know it.

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