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

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STEPHEN W. HAWKING is widely believed to be one of the world’s greatest a brilliant theoretical physicist whose work helped to reconfigure models of the universe and to redefine what’s in it. Imagine sitting in a room listening to Hawking discuss these achievements and place them in historical context. It would be like hearing Christopher Columbus tell of his journeys to the New World. This book approaches that. In The Theory of Everything, Hawking presents a series of seven lectures in which he lays out, perhaps more clearly and concisely than ever, the history of the universe as we know it. These essays capture not only the brilliance of Hawking’s mind but his characteristic wit as well. A great popularizer of science as well as a brilliant scientist, Hawking believes that advances in theoretical science should be "understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists." In this book, he offers, for all who would take it, a voyage of discovery about the cosmos and our place

136 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2002

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About the author

Stephen Hawking

219 books12.4k followers
Stephen William Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. Between 1979 and 2009, he was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, widely viewed as one of the most prestigious academic posts in the world.
Hawking was born in Oxford into a family of physicians. In October 1959, at the age of 17, he began his university education at University College, Oxford, where he received a first-class BA degree in physics. In October 1962, he began his graduate work at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where, in March 1966, he obtained his PhD degree in applied mathematics and theoretical physics, specialising in general relativity and cosmology. In 1963, at age 21, Hawking was diagnosed with an early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease that gradually, over decades, paralysed him. After the loss of his speech, he communicated through a speech-generating device initially through use of a handheld switch, and eventually by using a single cheek muscle.
Hawking's scientific works included a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems in the framework of general relativity, and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation. Initially, Hawking radiation was controversial. By the late 1970s, and following the publication of further research, the discovery was widely accepted as a major breakthrough in theoretical physics. Hawking was the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. He was a vigorous supporter of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.
Hawking achieved commercial success with several works of popular science in which he discussed his theories and cosmology in general. His book A Brief History of Time appeared on the Sunday Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Hawking was a Fellow of the Royal Society, a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. In 2002, Hawking was ranked number 25 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. He died in 2018 at the age of 76, having lived more than 50 years following his diagnosis of motor neurone disease.

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Profile Image for Ahmad Sharabiani.
9,563 reviews385 followers
June 8, 2021
The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of Universe (2002), Stephen Hawking

Based on a series of lectures given at Cambridge University, Professor Hawking's work introduced "the history of ideas about the universe" as well as today's most important scientific theories about time, space, and the cosmos in a clear, easy-to-understand way.

The Theory of Everything presents the most complex theories, both past and present, of physics.

It will enlighten readers and expose them to the rich history of scientific thought and the complexities of the universe in which we live.

عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «نظریه‌ی همه چیز»؛ «نظریه‌ ای برای همه چیز: آغاز و فرجام جهان هستی»؛ «تئوری همه چیز سرچشمه و سرنوشت کیهان»؛ «جایگاه ما در جهان هستی: تئوری همه چیز (مبدا و سرنوشت عالم)»؛ «نظریه همه چیز»؛ «تئوری همه چیز (آغاز و سرانجام جهان)»؛ نویسنده: استیون (استفن) هاوکینگ؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز هفتم ماه ژوئن سال 2010میلادی

عنوان: نظریه‌ی همه چیز؛ نویسنده: استیون (استفن) هاوکینگ؛ مترجم: ابوالفضل حقیری قزوینی؛ تهران، انتشارات حکمت (بصیرت)؛ تاریخ نشر 1389/10/15؛ در 128صفحه؛ شابک 9786005492026؛ چاپ چهارم 1394؛ چاپ پنجم حکمت سینا 1396؛ موضوع تاریخ کیهان از نویسندگان بریتانیایی - سده 21م

عنوان: نظریه‌ ای برای همه چیز: آغاز و فرجام جهان هستی؛ نویسنده: استیون هاوکینگ‏‫؛ مترجم محمدرضا غفاری؛ تهران، موسسه فرهنگی - هنری جهان کتاب، 1391؛ در 153ص؛ شابک 9789642533978؛ چاپ دوم 1392؛‬

عنوان: تئوری همه چیز سرچشمه و سرنوشت کیهان؛ نویسنده: استیون هاوکینگ؛ مترجم ک‍ورش‌ زع‍ی‍م‌؛ تهران، فراروی، 1394؛ در 147ص؛ شابک 9786005947717؛

عنوان: جایگاه ما در جهان هستی: تئوری همه چیز (مبدا و سرنوشت عالم)؛ استیون هاوکینگ؛ مترجم: صالح خواجه‌ دلوئی؛ تهران: کتاب کوله‌ پشتی‏، ‏‫1394؛ در 119ص؛ شابک 9786007642238؛ چاپ دوم 1394؛ چاپ ششم 1396؛

عنوان: نظریه همه چیز؛ تالیف استفن هاوکینگ؛ ترجمه و اضافات: صمد غلامی؛ تهران، نشر رمز، 1397؛ در 130ص؛ شابک9789648547214؛

عنوان: تئوری همه چیز (آغاز و سرانجام جهان)؛ نویسنده: استیون هاوکینگ؛ مریم براتی؛ تهران: ندای معاصر: کلک زرین، ‏‫1398؛ در 104ص؛ شابک 9786009896172؛

نقل از سخنرانی «استیون هاوکینگ» که کتاب با آنها آغاز میشود: (نزدیک به سیصد و چهل ��ال پیش از میلاد مسیح، «ارسطو» در کتاب خویش «در آسمان»، دو برهان خوب ارائه کردند که نشان می‌داد زمین همانند صفحه تخت نیست، بلکه مانند توپی گرد است؛ نخست «ارسطو» فهمید که علت خسوف (ماه‌ گرفتگی) آن است، که زمین بین خورشید و ماه قرار می‌گیرد؛ سایه‌ ی زمین روی ماه هماره مدور است، و این تنها در صورتی ممکن است، که زمین کروی باشد؛ اگر زمین همانند دیسکی تخت بود، سایه ی زمین می‌بایست کشیده و بیضی می‌شد، مگر آنکه خسوف هماره در زمانی روی می‌داد، که خورشید درست بالای مرکز دیسک قرار داشت.)؛ پایان نقل

این کتاب دربردارنده ی هفت سخنرانی «استیون هاوکینگ» در دانشگاه «کمبریج» است، که ایشان در آن‌ سخنرانیها درباره‌ ی تاریخچه‌ ی «عالم» سخن میگویند؛ «استیون هاوکینگ» در این کتاب تلاش کرده است تاریخ جهان را از «مهبانگ» تا «سیاه‌ چاله‌ها» و «اتحاد بزرگ» را به گونه ای مرور و بیان کنند تا داستان عالم برای افرادی نیز که تحصیلات دانشگاهی ندارند، قابل‌ درک باشد؛ ایشان پیچیده‌ ترین مطالب و نظریه‌ های بگذشتگان و امروز فیزیک را در این کتاب بیان کرده اند، و خوانشگر را در جریان تلاش‌های بشر و ژرفای دانش او قرار داده اند؛

کتاب «نظریه‌ ی همه‌ چیز» با پیش گفتاری آغازشده که در آن استیون هاوکینگ هدف خود را از نگارش این کتاب شرح داده، و در ادامه متن هفت سخنرانی ایشان آمده است؛ سخنرانی نخست- نظراتی درباره عالم؛ سخنرانی دوم- عالم در حال انبساط؛ سخنرانی سوم- سیاهچاله‌ها؛ سخنرانی چهارم – سیاهچاله‌‌ها چندان هم سیاه نیستند؛ سخنرانی پنجم – مبدأ و سرنوشت عالم؛ سخنرانی ششم – جهت زمان؛ سخنرانی هفتم- نظریه‌ ی همه‌چیز

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 17/03/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Profile Image for Rakhi Dalal.
228 reviews1,480 followers
November 28, 2015


An artist's sketch of a black hole's event horizon

Sometimes when we look at the evening sky, observe a shooting star far away or admire the beauty of moon, we are overpowered by this idea of our seemingly insignificant existence in the Universe. For if we compare our very own presence, that of our world or our country, even of our planet or our galaxy with the Universe, it is bewildering that we seem to occupy not even a speck of dust as compared to the vastness of the Universe. Many of us are then tempted to delve into the mysteries of this existence to make out some meaning, some significance. Whereas philosophy seems to correspond to our inner being in relation to world around, we need to turn to science in order to understand our relation with the Universe. The attempt thus taken, even though neither Science nor Philosophy seems to offer an absolute explanation, may bring about a more modest outlook towards our existence and empathy towards fellow beings.

But since most of the scientific theories and their explanation are available theoretically in a technical manner, not many of us make an attempt to understand them. In this work, Hawking not only suggests making scientific knowledge simpler enough for everyone so that more people can understand and benefit from it but also presents to us scientific theories in very simple way.

The work is a compilation of seven lectures delivered by Hawking in which he discusses various theories like Theory of relativity, Big Bang, Black Hole, Quantum theory, Quantum Gravity and String theory to finally propose a ‘unified theory’ which might one day be able to take every known theory into account and give us an explanation of the existence of Universe. Hawking is so lucid at explaining these theories and then presenting reasons as to why certain theories may not hold that even a naïve science reader like me can understand them. Moreover he is also quite witty at certain places, which makes the work an enjoyable read e.g.

“In other words, the singularities produced by gravitational collapse occur only in places like black holes, where they are decently hidden from outside view by an event horizon. Strictly, this is what is known as the weak cosmic censorship hypothesis: protect observers who remain outside the black hole from the consequences of the breakdown of predictability that occurs at the singularity. But it does nothing at all for the poor unfortunate astronaut who falls into the hole. Shouldn’t God protect his modesty as well?”

“However, in the end most people, including John Taylor, have come to the conclusion that black holes must radiate like hot bodies if our other ideas about general relativity and quantum mechanics are correct. Thus even though we have not yet managed to find a primordial black hole, there is fairly general agreement that if we did, it would have to be emitting a lot of gamma and X rays. If we do find one, I will get the Nobel Prize.”

Some concepts like Black hole radiation, arrows of time and quantum theory of gravity are very interesting. The idea of ‘reverse arrow of time’ made my head spin in a good way. Towards the end, when Hawking discusses the need of a unified theory and the question why such a theory may not be possible, he ends his lecture in the following manner:

However, if we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all be able to take part in the discussion of why the universe exists. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason. For then we would know the mind of God.

I will recommend this book to all those who want a have an idea about the Universe in terms of theories developed so far.
Profile Image for Aakanksha Jain.
Author 6 books722 followers
December 21, 2023
This book is a boon for physics lovers. The author didn't include complicated mathematical equations. He kept the language simple and easily understandable. The author mixes science with philosophy. It exhibits a subtle sense of humor in the book. It's a short read. Stephen Hawking poses interesting questions about God. All in all, a recommended reading.

Read full review here - Books Chharming
Profile Image for Carla René.
Author 12 books33 followers
September 9, 2010
I wasn't sure what to expect when I approached this book. Being such a huge Einstein fan and knowing how he struggled in his own, final quest for the Theory of Everything just before he died, well, I didn't know what to think. Had Hawking finally cracked that elusive nut?

I was originally homeless when I first discovered this book, and living in my car with my 2 cats. I would head to the library on special days to kill time, and immediately go to this book and throw myself into its pages. I'd always been a sort of Hawking/Penrose fan up to this point, but really got into the details of the theories seriously when I decided to return to college to study math and theoretical physics.

I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of levity and wit Hawking used to approach his topical essays! And he made a successful, conscious choice to remove most of the superfluous "professor-speak" and attempt to keep it on a level that most non-scientists could understand. I commend him for that. This book was a bit of an eye-opener for me. My favourite essays were of those on black holes. The interesting thing, is that since reading this book, we have discovered the existence of hyper-giants, which weren't around when Chandresekhar devised his now famous, "Chandresekhar limit" when calculating at what conditions an imploding star would finally fold under the mass of itself and become a black hole. It makes me wonder what this now does to his limit calculations.

All in all, a superb book for the scientist and non-scientist alike. Highly recommend.
Profile Image for Archit.
825 reviews3,205 followers
May 8, 2018
After reading A Brief History of Time, I wanted to read Stephen Hawking's other books immediately.

The Theory of Everything consists of lectures and notes by Prof. Hawking. His writing still amazes me whenever I get to have a look at his books.
Profile Image for Bernardo.
71 reviews71 followers
January 14, 2021
The only other book that I have read from Stephen Hawking is A Brief History of Time. I wasn’t a big fan of that book, because I felt that it didn’t really do a great job in its task as a popular science book. Unfortunately, this book is far too similar to A Brief History of Time and I’m even sure many passages are almost a plain copy.

It starts of with the usual approach that some popular science books still use today, a very short synopsis of the history of science, from the ancient Greeks until Einstein (this approach has been heavily overused over the years). Then some pages follow explaining how scientists discovered the universe was expanding and that it started with the Big Bang. After this Hawking discusses black holes in arguably the two best sections of the whole book. And at last, he explains his confusing ideas on imaginary time, the arrow of time, the future of the universe, etc.

I actually enjoyed reading the two chapters about black holes, which were Hawking’s area of expertise until the 1980s. These were genuinely interesting and I wish they had been longer. Maybe I can find some book of his that focuses solely on black holes.

I’ll end this review with an excerpt from physicist Lee Smolin, taken from an interview he gave years ago discussing popular science books:

“I must confess I never made it more than a few pages into Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time because I found the reasoning about things like quantum cosmology, imaginary time and so on as confusing and as sloppily argued in the book as in the original papers. If I can’t understand what it could mean to say that time ‘becomes imaginary’ at ‘early times’ – and I am a professional who works in the same field – how is the public supposed to understand what is meant?”
Profile Image for Poncho González.
666 reviews59 followers
January 14, 2020
Un texto sumamente brillante y explicado extraordinariamente muy sencillo en lo que la capacidad de los temas lo permiten, al ser transcripciones de unas conferencias sientes como si el propio Stephen Hawking estuviera hablando directamente contigo, te transmite esa calma y esa paz de explicarte temas tan confusos de una manera tan sencilla para que los podamos entender como si estuviéramos platicando cara a cara en una sala tomando un café. Si bien me llevo mucho de conocimiento e información, lo que más rescato de este libro es esa cercanía que te hace sentir con el autor y esa facilidad de tratar temas tan complicados como si fueran una charla casual con tu mejor amigo.
484 reviews88 followers
September 21, 2022
This is an interresting read. It is a series of lectures explaining the universe. It is put in a language which the laiman can understand.
Profile Image for Ahmed Abdelhamid.
Author 1 book1,810 followers
December 24, 2012
الكتاب بيغطي النظريات البشرية عن نشأة الكون و شكله و نهايته بشكل مبسط.
على الرغم من إنه بيتعرض لنظريات ال
Quantum mechanics, Relativity, Thermodynamics, Big bang, black holes...

إلا إن طريقة الكاتب جد مبسطة و التشبيهات التي يستخدمها بسيطة في أغلب الأحيان.
المحاضرات الأولى في الكتاب، تغطي تطور الفكر البشري في نظرته للكون و الأرض و شكلهم.

بطبيعة الحال، بيحفز عدد من الأسئلة مثل:
ما هو شكل أطراف الكون؟
في أي جزء من الكون تقع الكرة الأرضية؟
��ل الزمن يسير في خط واحط؟ أم بالإمكان رؤية الزمن بالعكس؟
إذا كان ممكنا رؤية الزمن في اتجاهين عن طريق ثقب أسود فكيف يمكننا تحديد مكان هذا الثقب؟
هل الكون ثابت أم يتسع دائما؟
إذا أثبت العلم أنه في اتساع دائم، هل يأتي يوم يتم عكس تلك الحركة؟

في الأخير الكتاب لا يقدم نظرية بعينها ولكن يضع أقدام القارئ على أول الطريق لفهم كل تلك النظريات المتعلقة بالكون ونشأته و اتساعه و نهايته بالتبعية.

أكثر جزء أعجبني في الكتاب، نقاشه لآثار التواجد داخل ثقب أسود رياضيا، و أنه بالإمكان بحسب النسبية النظر للمستقبل و تذكره تماما كما نتذكر الماضي.

الأفكار في الآخير تطرح أكثر الأسئلة صعوبة، إلى أي مدى يتدخل "الإله" في الكون و كيف خلقه... و أسئلة أخرى حول معرفه إرادة "الإله"

قبل الكتاب كنت أحسب ستيفن هوكينج ملحدا من الدرجة الأولى، ذكره في آخر محاضراته الكثير عن المشيئة و لماذا خلقنا، بعد السؤال الذي تعرض له من أول الكتاب لآخره "كيف" يجعلني أظن أنه ربما أكثر إيمانا من كثير آخرين.

و الأهم كل تلك الأفكار عن خطأ أينشتين في تعريف "معامل كوني ثابت" في نظرية النسبية، و أن الكون ثابت وليس دائم الاتساع، و أن الكشف بأن الكون دائم الاتساع و أن عدد الأجرام في أي اتجاه مماثل (بحسب قياس الموجات الواردة إلينا من كل اتجاه( تذكرني من أول صفحة في الكتاب ب "إنا لموسعون" و تطرح عددا أكبر من الأسئلة عن مكان الإله.... إذا كان كل شيء في كل اتجاه متماثل خارج مجرتنا.


أن تقرأ تاريخ الكون، و تبدأ في العد ببضعة آلاف من الملاين من السنين، معنى الوقت نفسه يتغير عندك. أظن أني سعدت بالمرور على الكتاب.

----
رابط للكتاب على جود ريدز، احفظه ربما تمر عليه لاحقا:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54...


__أحمد عبد الحميد
Profile Image for Eghbal.
56 reviews36 followers
August 28, 2019
متحیر از شگفتی علم نجوم!!!
کتاب واقعا ساختار منظمی داره و خیلی طبقه بندی شده و مرتب به خواننده اطلاعات میده .
عنوان های کوتاه که بدون کش آوردن بحث اصل کلامو روی کاغذ آورده . اول که قصد شروعشو داشتم از این میترسیدم که برای خواننده ای مثل من که سواد نجومی نداره چی قراره پیش بیاد اما در طول کتاب اصلا سردرگم نمیشید و جذابیتش برای همه نوع خواننده ای وجود داره .
هاوکینگ در کمال تواضع این کتابو گرد آوری کرده و با این که میشد توقع داشت خود ستایی کنه _ که البته برازنده خود ستایی هم هست _ هیچ جای کتاب از خودش تعریف نمیکنه ‌
وهزاران هزار افسوس که این بزرگ مرد چند سال دیگه دووم نیاورد تا کشف و مشاهده اولین سیاه چاله رو با چشمای خودش ببینه .
کسی که لینقدر دقیق و با ظرافت از چیزی که هیچوقت ندیده حرف میزد .
تمام بخش های کتاب جذابیت خودشو داشت و برای من سیاه چاله و بیگ بنگ بیشتر از بقیه کتاب دلچسب بود .
پیشنهاد میشود تمام
Profile Image for অনার্য অর্ক.
167 reviews188 followers
July 20, 2021
শেকসপিয়ারের হ্যামলেট পড়ার সময় একটা লাইন মনে গভীর দাগ কেটেছিলো আমার মনে।


All great things are created in the space between methods and madness


এই খানিক কৌশল আর খানিক উন্মাদনার মাঝের সেতুতে দাঁড়িয়ে পৃথিবীর চেহারার সবথেকে বদল ঘটেছিলো গত শতকে। ইতিহাস হয়তো আবারও নতুন করে লিখতে হতো যদি না আইনস্টাইন, টেসলারা মারা যেতেন।

যে সময়ের কথা বলছি...তখন
দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের পর পেরিয়ে গেছে প্রায় দশটা বছর।
সময়টা এপ্রিল মাসের মাঝামাঝি।  যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের একটা হাসপাতালে শেষ নিঃশ্বাস ত্যাগ করলেন আলবার্ট আইনস্টাইন। বিভিন্ন পত্র-পত্রিকা বেশ গুরুগম্ভীরভাবে ছাপছে তার মৃত্যুসংবাদ, বিশ্বের বিজ্ঞানমনস্কদের চেহারা
শোকে থমথমে। কোনো কোনো পত্রিকায় ছাপানো হয়েছে  তার এলোমেলো ডেস্কের একটা ছবি।
ডেস্কের ঠিক পিছনেই হিজিবিজি সমীকরণে ভরা একটা ব্ল্যাকবোর্ড।
নিচে দেয়া হয়েছে ক্যাপশন :
এই ডেস্কেই  আছে আইন্সটাইনের  জীবনের সবথেকে গুরুত্বপূর্ণ কাজের খসড়া।  যেন কোনো লুকানো গুপ্তসংকেত যা জানাজানি হলে বিজ্ঞানমহলে তোলপাড় হয়ে যাবে। কে সাইফার বা ডিকোড করবে সেটা?
তারপর একদিন জানা গেল, কাজটা অসমাপ্ত।  জীবনের শেষ ত্রিশটা বছর এই সদাহাস্য পাগলাটে বিজ্ঞানী দিন-রাত নিউরনে অনুরণের  স্ফুলিঙ্গ সংকেত তৈরিতে অনবরত চকমকি ঘষে চলেছেন  এই একটা মাত্র থিওরির পিছনে। থিওরির নাম ইউনিফায়েড ফিল্ড থিওরি। স্টাইল করে যাকে ডাকা হয়, The Theory of Everything নামে। তখন পর্যন্ত জানা চারটা মৌলিক বলকে একীভুত করে একটা মাত্র থিওরিতে আটকে ফেলার এই তত্ত্বই The Theory of Everything.

মানবজাতির বুদ্ধিবৃত্তিক দুটি মহান আর একই সাথে সফল,গ্রহণযোগ্য  আবিষ্কার আপেক্ষিকতার সাধারণ তত্ত্ব আর কোয়ান্টাম মেকানিকস। এরা কেউই একই সাথে সঠিক হতে পারে না, অন্তত তাদের বর্তমান রূপে। স্ট্রিং থিওরিকে এমন একটা তত্ত্ব হিসেবে ভাবার অবকাশ থাকলেও, বাস্তব পরীক্ষায় এর কোনো প্রমাণ নেই। স্টিফেন হকিং এই বইয়ে চেয়েছেন সেই সব প্রশ্নের জবাব খুঁজতে যা মহাবিশ্বের রহস্যের দুয়ারে বিশাল তালা হিসেবে ঝুলে আছে।  বিপুল পরিসরের মহাবিশ্ব,ক্ষুদ্র পরিসরের পরমাণু রাজ্যকে এক সুতোয় গাঁথার এই ভ্রমণই -  দ্য থিওরি অব এভরিথিং।


স্টিফেন হকিং চেয়েছিলেন যে, কোনো রকম সূত্র ব্যবহার না করে, বিজ্ঞান শিক্ষার্থী থেকে শুরু করে সবার জন্য মহাবিশ্বের জন্ম থেকে শেষ পরিণতির আদ্যোপান্ত এই বইয়ে তিনি সংক্ষেপে প্রাসঙ্গিক আর সহজভাবে তুলে ধরবেন। একদিক থেকে তিনি সফল। সাতটা লেকচারে এতো সংক্ষেপে আর প্রাসঙ্গিকভাবে এই বিশাল ব্যাখ্যাযোগ্য আলোচনাকে আনা সম্ভব হতো না।  কিন্তু আরেকদিক থেকে তিনি পুরোপুরিভাবে ব্যর্থ।  সেটা হলো সহজ এবং বোধগম্যতার আপেক্ষিকতা।

এই বইটা জ্যোতির্বিজ্ঞান নিয়ে শূন্য জ্ঞান নিয়ে পড়া কোনো পাঠক পড়তে গেলে সবকিছু মাথার কয়েক মাইল উপর দিয়ে যাবে। যদি বিজ্ঞান শিক্ষার্থী না হোন
... বিগব্যাং থিওরি,বিগ ক্রাঞ্চ থিওরি,ডপলার ইফেক্ট, পালসার থিওরি, নক্ষত্রের জন্ম ও মৃত্যু, মহাবিশ্বের পরিণতি নিয়ে মডেলগুলো নিয়ে কোনো জ্ঞানই না থাকে এই বই হজম করা,বোঝা আর হিব্রু ভাষা পড়ার মাঝে পার্থক্য করতে পারবেন বলে মনে হয় না। আর সূত্র না থাকবার কারণে,থিওরিগুলো নিয়ে ধারণা থাকবার পরও অনেকের রিলেট করতে সমস্যা হবে।


আবার জ্যোতির্বিজ্ঞান নিয়ে খুব ভালোমতো জ্ঞান যদি  থাকে, বেসিক আইডিয়াগুলো,থিওরিগুলো আপনি যদি জানেন,তবেই এ বই পড়বার পর হকিংকে টুপিখোলা সম্মান দেখাতে ইচ্ছা হবে।

যেহেতু যে কোনো জেনারালাইজেশনের কোনো না কোনো ব্যতিক্রম থাকেই... সে হিসেবে কথাগুলোর প্রায়োগিক মাত্রার পরিবর্তন হতে পারে।

মহাবিশ্বের জন্ম থেকে শেষ পরিণতিকে কালো অক্ষরে বাঁধতে গিয়ে সামগ্রিক বিষয়বস্তুকে আলোচনার সুবিধার্থে সাতটি লেকচারে ভাগ করেছেন স্টিফেন হকিং।
মহাবিশ্বের সম্পর্কে ধারণা, প্রসারণশীল মহাবিশ্ব,কৃষ্ণগহ্বর, হকিং রেডিয়েশন,মহাবিশ্বের জন্ম এবং শেষ পরিণতি, সময়ের দিক আর সার্বিক তত্ত্ব বা দ্য থিওরি অব এভরিথিং এই সাত শিরোনামে এসেছে কিংবদন্তি বিজ্ঞানী স্টিফেন হকিংয়ের সাতটি বক্তৃতা।
মহাবিশ্বের জন্ম থেকে পরিণতি নিয়ে আমাদের প্রশ্ন আর কৌতুহল প্রবৃত্তিগত হওয়ায় খুব উপভোগ করার সম্ভাবনা প্রবল।

বিজ্ঞান বইয়ের অনুবাদ কঠিন পারিভাষিক শব্দের জন্য অনেক বেশি দুর্বোধ্য আর কঠিন হয়ে যায় বেশিরভাগ সময়। কিন্তু আবুল বাসারের অনুবাদ প্রচেষ্টা দারুণভাবে সফল আর সহজবোধ্য।  টীকা দেয়া নন-ফিকশনগুলো আমি ভয় পাই,খুব সম্ভবত এর অ্যারেঞ্জমেন্টের কারণেই। কিন্তু দ্য থিওরি অব এভ্রিথিংয়ে টীকাগুলো প্রতিটা লেকচারের শেষে দেয়ার কারণে খুব ভালোমতোই মূল লেখা টানা পড়ে যেতে পেরেছি। আর থিওরি বোঝানোর জন্য প্রয়োজনীয় ছবিগুলো অ্যাটাচড থাকায় আরো বেশি রিলেট করতে সহজ হয়েছে সবকিছু।

শেষে স্টিফেন হকিংয়ের জীবনকথা আর দুরারোগ্য মোটর নিউরন ব্যাধিতে আক্রান্ত এক তরুণের বিজ্ঞা��মহলে সাড়া ফেলে দেয়া অদম্য জয়ের গল্প এই বইয়ের বাড়তি পাওনা।

পার্সোনাল রেটিং : 4/5
Profile Image for Vicky Hallak.
17 reviews1 follower
July 23, 2015
Gran manera de romper nuestras barreras mentales por medio de la ciencia.
Profile Image for Reza Mardani.
172 reviews
March 6, 2018
دونستن یه مقدار کم کوانتوم و نسبیت برای فهمیدن کتاب لازمه ولی حتی اگر آشنایی هم ندارید، کتاب انقد ساده نوشته شده که بهتون یه دید کلی نسبت به آفرینش و نظریه های جدید مربوط به اون میده
به شدت توصیه میشه خوندنش
Profile Image for Swati.
23 reviews2 followers
February 25, 2015
Language is lucid. However, at times theories are quite complex and simple pictorial illustrations if incorporated might have had been useful. The book starts off with the ancient theories on universe evolution and gradually explains reasons for non-feasibility of the same in a structured manner. It is followed by explaining that why universe is non-static, future of stars, different evolutionary models, flaws in them, the paradox which is created if we assume singularity to be existent at the time of bing bang, concepts of quantum gravity and imaginary time to find solutions for fundamental limitations arising because of singularity assumption, possible histories of universe and ultimately capability of string theory to resolve unsolved mysteries. At the end author has explained that why unified theory is not possible presently but might be possible in future.
Author does tried to add light humour in some parts.
Fascinating read!
Profile Image for María E..
342 reviews9 followers
February 4, 2017
Un libro muy interesante, contiene 6 conferencias impartidas por Stephen Hawking en 1996, sobre el universo, su origen, los agujeros negros y la última de todas la que da título al libro, la famosa teoría unificadora que llevan años buscando los físicos y que no terminan de encontrar.

Soy muy fan de este hombre, no sólo tiene una mente prodigiosa, sino que también tiene la capacidad de transmitir conceptos muy complejos de forma que cualquiera pueda entenderlos y esa es una capacidad que muy pocos científicos tienen, lamentablemente.

Tengo que decir que siempre fui malísima en física y matemáticas en el Instituto y es una espina que tengo clavada hace muchos años, hace poco hice un MOOC en Coursera estupendo que me reconcilió un poco con la física. De pequeña quería estudiar Astronomía que me fascina, pero al ser tan desastre en física y matemáticas, mis tutores me dirigieron a la Biología que era más asequible.
Profile Image for Smit Nikam.
31 reviews16 followers
May 17, 2021
Right from childhood, astronomy has always fascinated me. But as an adult with growing responsibilities, my focus shifted, and I could not read much of it after my school. The Theory of Everything by Stephan Hawking was a great read to get my attention back to it.

This book is a boon to astronomy and astrophysics lovers. Professor Hawking has tried to illustrate some really complex ideas in a very simple language for everyone to easily understand. No complicated formulae are used.

The book is a collection of seven lectures by Stephan Hawking.
In the first lecture, the author talks about the history of cosmological study and its evolution with time.

In the second lecture, he talks about the expansion of the universe starting right from the big bang. He explains some models and other efforts by various scientists that talk about this expansion.

In the third and fourth lectures, he focuses on the Black Holes and explains almost everything you need to know about them.

In the fifth lecture, he throws light on the origin and fate of the universe. During the course of it, he explains the hot big bang model, the inflationary model, and quantum gravity.

The sixth lecture comprises of various ideas and concepts about time. He talks about some really cool things such as time travel and predicting the future.

And finally in the seventh lecture, he talks about one unified 'Theory of Everything' that can approximate all the different theories about the universe. We are yet to arrive at one such unified theory, but once achieved, it can help us solve many unsolved mysteries about the universe and our place in it.

The Theory of Everything is a wonderful book and I would recommend it to every astronomy and science lover.
43 reviews4 followers
June 3, 2019
Praticamente igual a
Breve História do Tempo: do Big Bang aos Buracos Negros

Quem tiver lido um não necessita de ler o outro.
Profile Image for Thomas Stroemquist.
1,587 reviews141 followers
July 16, 2023
Mind blowing stuff. The scale of the descriptions are just too large to take in in a normal paced read and I was frequently doubling back and that is despite Hawkins in this series of lectures does his very best to stay at a graspable level. A bit ambiguously I found myself wanting a bit more details - at the same time never imagining I would ever understand them. Whatever level of physics you are at, it’s a highly recommended read.
Profile Image for Danyal Talpur.
14 reviews19 followers
August 26, 2020
*Book review by Danyal Talpur*

The book the "theory of everything" is written by Stephen Hawking. This book is mostly about Cosmology. This book is comprised of seven lectures, these lectures are on the creation and the fate of the universe, Black holes, direction of time, and the theory of everything. The writing style of Stephen Hawking is very simple and easy, he illustrates very complex ideas with daily life examples.

In the first lecture, Stephen Hawking gives an outline of the history of the history of the universe, he gave a review of past ideas about the universe. He started his lecture from Aristotle's ideas and end it at our present belief about the universe.

In the second and the fifth Chapter, Stephen Hawking talked about expanding, origin, and the fate of the universe. In these chapters, he deals with questions like will the universe eventually stop expanding and start contracting? Will it expand forever? In these chapters, he also describes how time had begun at Big Bang? Stephen Hawking applies Quantum mechanics, the law of gravitation, and Einstein's relativity to prove that the universe must have a beginning and the universe could not be statistics.

In the third and fourth lectures, Stephen Hawking talked about black holes. He described how black holes are formed? What is inside the black holes? Will people be able to come out of black holes? The author proves his ideas with physics laws.

In the sixth lecture, Stephen Hawking discusses the direction of time. He described that does time travel is possible? Can we predict the future?

In the seventh and last chapter, Stephen Hawking described the ideas about the theory of everything. Actually, the theory of everything is not still given by anyone. There are some theories of science that are not unified with each other like Quantum mechanics and general relativity. However, one would hope to find a complete, consistent, unified theory that would include all these partial theories as approximations. The quest for such a theory is known as " the unification of physics." Einstein spends much of his latter time to unified all the theories but he refused to believe in Quantum mechanics. When all the theories will be unified, we shall really understand the universe and our position in it.

The theory of everything is one of the must-read books for science and cosmology lovers. Stephen Hawking illustrates highly complex ideas in a very easy way. I highly recommend every bookworm to read this book.
Profile Image for Jiwesh.
27 reviews1 follower
February 19, 2021
I had tried reading this book when I was in school. I remember how I understood all the words, as Prof. Hawking has refrained from using terms too technical, but couldn't stitch together a picture. And I was only gonna put so much effort into looking cool; so I left reading it halfway.

I finally read this book, having graduated in Physics; and can empathize with school-me. Chapter 2 has Friedmann models and singularities and CMBR. I felt they had been well explained for the general audience, but that is probably because I already had a fair idea about them.

The book, The Theory of Everything, is 125 odd pages long. There is only so much depth that can be present. Quasars and neutron stars are introduced casually and they disappear almost immediately. Analogies do not appear frequently; and when they do, they are concise. There is very little digression from the main subject: understanding the beginning of the universe. It is an intense book in that sense.

The latter part of the book kept me on the edge, too. Almost every line was a logical piece needed to follow the story of the universe. Unsurprisingly, I was able to comprehend less and less of it. Imaginary time and renormalization were explained almost nonchalantly.

One thing that puts me off when reading popular science books is the elaborate analogies used to explain quantum mechanics: the collapse of states, the uncertainty principle and especially coherence. Thankfully, Prof. Hawking has steered clear of watering down quantum mechanics and referencing the Schrodinger's cat. Quantum mechanics is introduced in the book when the readers are told that classical general relativity would break down at the beginning of time.

One aspect about popular science books which I enjoy is the stories about the physicists and the interactions between them. This book, given its short length, is badly lacking in that aspect.

Following Prof. Hawking all the way through would be difficult for the common reader, even though the language isn't very technical. And I can't comment on how people comfortable with advanced physics would find this. But it is a fairly good read for people with a decent grasp over high school and early college physics.
Profile Image for Kaustubh.
6 reviews2 followers
May 29, 2012
Not a novel per se but a collection of lectures by Mr Hawking, which explores the origins of the universe and tries to find the answer to "Why does the Universe exist, anyway?".
Stephen Hawking tries to explain the origin of the Universe or The Big Bang without going into the technicalities and also gives a brief overview of various theories present that try to explain the state of the Universe (even the String theory).
The writing is simple but still multiple readings will be required to completely understand the full book (for me atleast). Hawking's witty propositions and his subtle doubts at the existence of THE CREATOR makes it a very enjoyable experience.
A must read for anyone interested in cosmology
5/5
Profile Image for Ray Flores.
1,497 reviews242 followers
December 1, 2020
[ AUDIOBOOK ]
Story: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Narrated by Michael York.


I don��t tend to read non-fiction, but when I do, I happen to search for things that would make me understand the world a little better.

Stephen Hawking was a remarkable man that wondered about important topics such as the existence of black holes and everything that comes with them. In here he talks about the expansion of the universe, the different theories of how it was created and it also brings a few questions to the table –questions that a normal person wouldn’t even dare to dream of.

Still, he has a great way of explaining things so that everybody can understand and I’m grateful for that. The narrator, too, makes a wonderful job and it almost feels like he’s giving you a mind blowing lecture.

I hope I can listen to his other books because every time I look for space related articles, I’m just mind blown. The universe is so damn big; I cannot believe men dare to believe they’re the only ones in here.
Profile Image for Arezoo Alipanah.
237 reviews143 followers
September 4, 2021
Hawking has unraveled the most complicated parts of science in the most simple way almost anyone can understand, digest and enjoy it.



"Why don't we notice all these extra dimensions if they are really there? Why do we see only three space and one time dimension? The suggestion is that the other dimensions are curved up into a space of very small size, something like a million million million million millionth of an inch. This is so small that we just don't notice it. We see only the three space and one time dimension in which space-time is thoroughly flat. It is like the surface of an orange: if you look at it close up, it is all curved and wrinkled, but if you look at it from a distance, you don't see the bumps and it appears to be smooth. So it is with space–time. On a very small scale, it is ten–dimensional and highly curved. But on bigger scales, you don't see the curvature or the extra dimensions."
Profile Image for baQer (BFZ).
136 reviews16 followers
June 7, 2018
مدارک حاضر دالّ بر آن است که احتمالاً جهان هستی برای همیشه به انبساط خود ادامه می‌دهد. ولی روی آن حساب نکنید. آنچه ما می‌توانیم به آن مطمئن باشیم، این است که حتی اگر جهان به‌سوی فروریختن برود، این رویداد حداقل ده میلیارد سال دیگر رخ خواهد داد. زیرا حداقل ده میلیارد سال است که جهان در حال انبساط است و همین مدت طول می‌کشد تا به ‌حال نخستین برگردد. این موضوع نباید بی‌جهت موجب نگرانی ما شود. زیرا اگر انسان تا آن زمان به آن سوی منظومۀ شمسی مهاجرت نکرده باشد، خیلی پیشتر از آن از روی زمین محو شده است و با مرگ خورشید، او نیز مرده است
Profile Image for Sotiria Lazaridou.
529 reviews45 followers
January 4, 2023
an English major attempts to read a book about physics: A BIG SUCCESS!!

I used to despise physics as a subject back in school, mainly because of the way it was taught in Greece... but this book was so incredibly accessible and fascinating that it has definitely sparked my interest in physics and I'm absolutely going to be reading more books with similar themes!!
Profile Image for Emmanuel Kostakis.
78 reviews129 followers
November 19, 2022
4.5* beautiful cosmic stars. Why the universe exists? Knowing the answer would be the ultimate triumph of human reason…for then we would know the mind of God….
Profile Image for plainzt .
742 reviews94 followers
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January 22, 2024
Stephen Hawking olabilecek en basit şekilde yazmış anlatmak istediklerini ama benim kafama çoğu şey girmedi açıkçası. Ne kaldı kitaptan geriye dersem; evren yeniden çökecekse bile bu en azından on bin milyon yıl daha gerçekleşmeyecekmiş ( böyle bir korkum yoktu zaten), Katolikler evrenin başlangıcının araştırılmasını istemiyormuş (hiç şaşırmadım), her şeyin teorisi olacaksa genel görelilik, çekim kuvveti ve manyetik kuvveti bir arada açıklamalı (bu kısmı yanlış anlamış olabilirim). Michio Kaku'nun kitaplarında konular benim gibi astrofizik vs. alanında bilgisiz okurlar için daha sistematik anlatılıyor ve tabii ki güncel bilgilerle ele alınıyor. Ben oradan devam edeceğim okumaya.
Profile Image for Nihal.
198 reviews
March 6, 2022
The Theory of Everything is a book written by Stephen Hawking that explains all the theories related to the creation and working of the universe. Hawking describes these hypotheses in a simple manner such that any person can understand them. He starts by explaining the ancient ideas of the universe and ends by explaining string theory and quantum gravity. It’s truly a good book for understanding black holes, the big bang, general relativity, quantum physics, and many more theories

In my opinion, this book is better than A Brief History of Time, since it explained everything more clearly. Before reading this book, I think the reader must have some knowledge about quantum mechanics and general relativity.

Even though there is no clear theory of everything, Hawking explains each smaller theory in great detail. Stephen Hawking was not only a physicist, but he was also a great writer. His theories and calculations on black holes were outstanding.

I encourage everyone to read and understand his life and his scientific successes.

Edit - 6th March 2022

Well, I read this book again today, and it didn't bore me at all. The scientific theories were explained briefly and with a sense of completeness. There were names of some scientists I had never heard before, so this book gives information on them too.
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