Brief Answers to the Big Questions

Stephen Hawking

Oct 2018 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Ben Whishaw, Garrick Hagon, and Lucy Hawking

About this audiobook

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The world-famous cosmologist and author of A Brief History of Time leaves us with his final thoughts on the biggest questions facing humankind.

“Hawking’s parting gift to humanity . . . a book every thinking person worried about humanity’s future should read.”—NPR

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Forbes • The Guardian • Wired

Stephen Hawking was the most renowned scientist since Einstein, known both for his groundbreaking work in physics and cosmology and for his mischievous sense of humor. He educated millions of readers about the origins of the universe and the nature of black holes, and inspired millions more by defying a terrifying early prognosis of ALS, which originally gave him only two years to live. In later life he could communicate only by using a few facial muscles, but he continued to advance his field and serve as a revered voice on social and humanitarian issues.

Hawking not only unraveled some of the universe’s greatest mysteries but also believed science plays a critical role in fixing problems here on Earth. Now, as we face immense challenges on our planet—including climate change, the threat of nuclear war, and the development of artificial intelligence—he turns his attention to the most urgent issues facing us.

Will humanity survive? Should we colonize space? Does God exist? ​​These are just a few of the questions Hawking addresses in this wide-ranging, passionately argued final book from one of the greatest minds in history.

Featuring a foreword by Eddie Redmayne, who won an Oscar playing Stephen Hawking, an introduction by Nobel Laureate Kip Thorne, and an afterword from Hawking’s daughter, Lucy, Brief Answers to the Big Questions is a brilliant last message to the world.

Read by Ben Whishaw, with the foreword read by Garrick Hagon and the afterword read by Lucy Hawking 


Praise for Brief Answers to the Big Questions

“[Hawking is] a symbol of the soaring power of the human mind.”—The Washington Post

“Hawking’s final message to readers . . . is a hopeful one.”—CNN

“Brisk, lucid peeks into the future of science and of humanity.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Hawking pulls no punches on subjects like machines taking over, the biggest threat to Earth, and the possibilities of intelligent life in space.”—Quartz

“Effortlessly instructive, absorbing, up to the minute and—where it matters—witty.”—The Guardian

“This beautiful little book is a fitting last twinkle from a new star in the firmament above.”—The Telegraph

Ratings and reviews

This book absolutely tops the charts of great reads for me. Though only a 4 hour read, it is by far one of the most thoughtful and profound books that I have ever read. Perhaps the timing in which I read it has something to do with my characterizing it as such but nonetheless Stephen Hawking does an impeccable job of dissecting the big questions that we all must face as humans. Particularly in the midst of one of the worlds most powerful nations electing a president that entirely rejects science and reason. One of my favorite parts was hearing his justification for augmenting our evolution which I have thought for some time is something we must prioritize higher. My other favorite part was the very end when he suggests that the next Einstein may just be a woman. Inspiring, hopeful but raw and real. It's been a ton of fun diving into this mans mind and exploring these questions with him and I hope you get to do the same.

this is an awesome book , for anyone , I'm a tool and die maker and not only did I understand it but it made sense of a lot things I've read and didn't fully comprehend before , God's own prototype a high powered mutant never even considered for mass production

The best book by Hawking I've ever read...and thouroghly understood. Narrated brilliantly by British actor Ben Whisaw.