The Grand Design

Starred review from July 26, 2010
The three central questions of philosophy and science: Why is there something rather than nothing? Why do we exist? Why this particular set of laws and not some other? No one can make a discussion of such matters as compulsively readable as the celebrated University of Cambridge cosmologist Hawking (A Brief History of Time). Along with Caltech physicist Mlodinow (The Drunkard's Walk), Hawking deftly mixes cutting-edge physics to answer those key questions. For instance, why do we exist? Earth occupies a "Goldilocks Zone" in space: just the perfect distance from a not-too-hot star, with just the right elements to allow life to evolve. On a larger scale, in order to explain the universe, the authors write, "we need to know not only how the universe behaves, but why." While no single theory exists yet, scientists are approaching that goal with what is called "M-theory," a collection of overlapping theories (including string theory) that fill in many (but not all) the blank spots in quantum physics; this collection is known as the "Grand Unified Field Theories." This may all finally explain the mystery of the universe's creation without recourse to a divine creator. This is an amazingly concise, clear, and intriguing overview of where we stand when it comes to divining the secrets of the universe. 41 color illus. throughout, 7 b&w cartoons.

The true achievement of the authors is in having written these beautiful abstract concepts--from quantum theory to relativity, multiple universes, and the existence of life--with such simplicity and clarity. The cosmologist and the physicist provide often-humorous analogies and examples that enhance comprehension of the complex models and theories, as do short sentences free of esoteric words. Narrator Steve West gives this reading an appropriate measured pacing. Listeners sometimes need a few seconds to mull over the concepts, and West provides them. Infinite cosmological propositions--imagining time/space, the Big Bang, and beyond--are weighty stuff, and West delivers accordingly. As to the work's controversial aspect--a Grand Design minus a Grand Designer to spark the process--such considerations seem moot when Hawking often refers to the origins of our known universe and life on Earth as "miraculous" and "serendipitous." A.W. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine