The Illustrated Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe

by Stephen Hawking

THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

Also, the initial rate of expansion would have had to be chosen very precisely for the universe not to have recollapsed before now. This means that the initial state of the universe must have been very carefully chosen indeed if the hot big bang model was correct right back to the beginning of time. It would be very difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of a God who intended to create beings like us.

God may know how the universe began, but we cannot give any particular reason for thinking it began one way rather than another. On the other hand, the quantum theory of gravity has opened up a new possibility. In this, there would be no boundary to space–time. Thus, there would be no need to specify the behavior at the boundary. There would be no singularities at which the laws of science broke down and no edge of space–time at which one would have to appeal to God or some new law to set the boundary conditions for space-time. One could say: “The boundary

condition of the universe is that it has no boundary.” The universe would be completely

paper was rather mathematical, however, so its implications for the role of God in the creation of the universe were not noticed at the time—just as well for

One possible answer is that God simply chose that the universe should be in a smooth and ordered state at the beginning of the expansion phase. We should not try to understand why or question His reasons because the beginning of the universe was the work of God. But the whole history of the universe can be said to be the work of God.