Stephen Hawking's Last Book Will Address All Your Biggest Existential Questions

This year, we lost one of the most brilliant scientists of the 21st Century.

Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, the man who defied death for decades and defined several of the greatest discoveries about the universe and the nature of existence, left us with a lifetime of knowledge and wisdom that will continue to make waves long after he’s gone.

In fact, just last month Hawking’s final paper was published in the Journal of High Energy Physics, which he co-wrote with longtime colleague Thomas Hertog.

The title? “A Smooth Exit from Eternal Inflation?”, which proposes a simpler version of the universe– well, multiverse as it’s now believed by most theoretical physicists– and considers a possibility for how the origins of the universe were formed from the Big Bang.

In other words, the theory is that time didn’t exist before the Big Bang, and that the Big Bang created time (oversimplified, but you get the idea).

However, it turns out, Hawking not yet done hitting us with deep wisdom as his forthcoming– and final– book titled, Brief Answers to the Big Questions is on its way.

The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be divinely inspired.

– Stephen Hawking

Brief Answers to the Big Questions: An answer to all your biggest existential questions

Come this October, U.S. publisher Bantam will publish Hawking’s final book Brief Answers to the Big Questions, which promises to cover:

...everything from the creation of the universe, black holes, alien intelligence, and the existence of God to the importance of space colonization, and the perils and promise of artificial intelligence,

According to the publishers, the book will be divided into sections:

1. Why Are We Here?
2. Will We Survive?
3. Will Technology Save Us or Destroy Us?
4. How Can We Thrive?

Some questions, huh? Clearly, Hawking was cutting straight through to the good stuff in this final project. Which, reportedly, he loved working on.

Lucy Hawking, Stephen Hawking’s daughter and spokesperson for his estate, said that her father loved working on the book and wanted the world to experience it. In a statement, she said, “Communication was so important to our father in his lifetime and we see this book as part of his legacy, bringing together his thoughts, humor, theories, and writing into one beautiful edition.”

Robert Kirby, Hawking’s longtime agent, said in a statement:

The idea for this book rose out of the thousands of requests Professor Hawking received from people from all over the world for answers to the big questions of our time.

With his characteristic wit and brilliant mind he began writing and collating his responses and I’m delighted his estate has agreed to support publication of Brief Answers to the Big Questions, the last book he was working on before he died.

A portion of the book’s profits will be donated to the Motor Neuron Disease Association as well as the Stephen Hawking Foundation.

Brief Answers to the Big Questions will be released on October 16th, 2018.