russia has launched a full-scale war in Ukraine! Donate to the charity fund to support Ukraine and protect the world’s peace.

Support Ukraine

logo

Headway App

(81,672)

FREE - on the App Store

INSTALL NOW
library / 
book

Summary of Brief Answers to the Big Questions 

4.7 . 2383 reviews

Short summary

What is the origin of life? Will Artificial Intelligence overtake human intelligence? Are we more likely to destroy life on our beloved planet by our actions than by an attack from outer space? These are questions that seem complex to many people, thus, it’s difficult finding answers to them. However, in this tidbit, these questions and many more are answered in the simplest way possible. Stephen William Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. He was the director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge up until the time of his death. In this summary, he explores, from a scientific perspective, the answers to certain existential questions. He challenges us to continue to explore new territories and take deliberate actions to ensure we do not destroy this lovely planet by our carelessness. “When we see the Earth from space, we see ourselves as a whole. We see the unity, and not the divisions. It is such a simple image with a compelling message; one planet, one human race.” 〜 Stephen Hawking

Table of content

  • Summary of Brief Answers to the Big Questions
  • About the author
  • What is Brief Answers to the Big Questions about?
  • Who should read Brief Answers to the Big Questions
  • Topics in Brief Answers to the Big Questions
first key point

There are forces that govern the universe that are beyond religious and cultural beliefs

Listen the first key point
00:00
00:00
Why are we all here? Where did we all come from? Both religion and science postulate responses to these fundamental questions, and either reach profoundly dissimilar suppositions. Science argues that human existence is accidental, while religion postulates that there is inborn meaning in human life.

These questions arise from humans’ penchant to understand and explain our universe. Initially, man depended on religion to provide these answers. Before science gave a logical and verifiable explanation for lightning, rain and other natural phenomena, it was believed that gods were responsible for these things.
The best way to understand science is not just to believe in it, but to learn about it based on research and evidence.
The game of tennis shows that the ball always gets to the position where the natural laws of gravity and motion predict it will. There are no exceptions. Certainly, there are other variables that influence the outcome, such as the force with which the player hits the ball or the wind speed, but these act as simple data points, processed by these natural laws in an invariable way to estimate the result. These laws are universal.

The revolution of our planet obeys natural laws. Moreover, natural laws can’t be broken by anyone. This means that God would have to obey the laws. Theology diverges at this point with its assertion of divine omnipotence.To bridge the gap between religious definitions and scientific definitions of God, we need to see God and these universal laws as one and the same.This would mean defining God as the laws of nature itself rather than a conscious being who is responsible for its creation.
second key point

The conclusions of science and that of religion on the fundamental questions of life are entirely different

The Big Bang hypothesis is the dominant cosmological explanation that states that the universe began as an endlessly hot and dense singularity that expanded over 13.8 billion years to become the universe we know today. Most humans do not find the definition of the Big Bang theory comforting because of their desire to think of God as the creator of the universe. But looking at the universe in its magnitude and comparing it to how puny and unintended human life is, the probability of a divine creator is microscopic. If the traditional understanding of the beginning of the universe is unsound, how then did the universe begin?
book
Continue reading with Headway app
Continue reading
Full summary is waiting for you in the app
third key point

Understanding the revolutionary theory about space will help answer the question of what preceded the Big Bang

fourth key point

Predictions are well–calculated assumptions gotten from past and present experiences

fifth key point

What can escape a black hole?

sixth key point

Technological advancements and political will must combine to combat the prospect of human extinction

seventh key point

Humans possess enough mental capacity to make the universe a better place

eighth key point

Although AI is beneficial, it must be closely managed to prevent it from replacing humans in the workforce

ninth key point

Conclusion

Buy full book on AmazonContinue the summary

What is Brief Answers to the Big Questions about?

Who should read Brief Answers to the Big Questions

book
book

Enjoy summarized nonfiction bestsellers

Grasp the book’s key ideas in less than 15 minutes

Get started

Get new knowledge easily

Let’s check how many titles you can finish in a month with Headway! Tell us how much time you’d like to spend on reading:

2 min/day
5 min/day
10 min/day
15 min/day
20 min/day
30 min/day
45 min/day
4 titles/month
10 titles/month
20 titles/month
30 titles/month
40 titles/month
60 titles/month
90 titles/month
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
4 titles/month
10 titles/month
20 titles/month
30 titles/month
40 titles/month
60 titles/month
90 titles/month
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image

Join 30+ million learners around the world

60K5 reviews on App Store and Google Play
icon

Everything you need to be motivate, to learn & to self improves is all here. I actually do appreciate the reminders because otherwise this wouldn’t work for me. Thank you

icon

sandypantalones

icon

Headway is the answer! No longer accumulating books I never read. With Headway, I initially chose the areas important to me such as productivity, time management, etc., and each day I'm provided several book summaries from which I devote 20 minutes or more each day reading. All of this on my phone! My life has improved with Headway. Truly my most useful app.

icon

Carol Slinker

icon

An excellent concept, executed well. Headway can help you retain what you've read while introducing you to the essential core of new information. It's an easier way to stay inspired, and to be reminded of the mental tools you've learned

icon

Fuse Henry

icon

In today’s world, we rarely have time. Between our jobs, our families are social obligations, when do we have time to grow and develop ourselves? Headway is an excellent app that gives you that time it gives you those little snippets of information that you need to direct your focus in on your life. Headway gives you a chance to find out the meat of a book that you might want to purchase and read or listen to in-depth without wasting a lot of time trying to figure out is this book for me? I highly recommend the app.

icon

sleepy sprite

icon

The selections are on point and the summaries are excellent! I listen while I walk my pup 🐶 and have in turn, ordered a few selections! REALLY loving the app, it’s layout, daily selections and features!

icon

JuicyBaby328

icon

I've gotten multiple books out of the library with the intent to read them, but always have a hard time finding the time. This app has helped me finally be able to get to them. Summarized, yes, and thank goodness too! Just short enough I can finish one on my way picking kids up from school/practice, or while I'm cooking dinner. I can't wait to listen to them over the summer when we visit the beach!

icon

Jillian Emmert

icon

It amazed me! There is the possibility to highlight the most important points of each book and instantly translate unfamiliar vocabulary. With the ability to review the searched words. It's a great way to learn more about English as well. The price is great.

icon

Fiamma

icon

I’m enjoying what I’m learning on headway.each summary comes with quotes at the end which you can save to help you remember key points. You can listen or read, I’ve found that reading puts me to sleep before I can finish but the listening feature keeps me engaged and I can finish in a brief amount of time if not one session.

icon

Epic waters

icon

The app it’s so easy to use. I use it while driving or cooking and is great. I love the fact that the chapters are short, so you can finish them quickly. Very knowledgeable.

icon

kathytaveras

icon

The best app for self development.It helps to keep pace with your reading and also suggests the kind of reading material you might like.It is fun as you can switch from reading to listening and vice-versa as per your convenience .Just get started and partake of the treasure of knowledge at your fingertips .I feel lucky to have spotted the app.It has helped me become self-disciplined and much better informed.The audio track is excellent.

icon

anita yadav

icon

Exactly what I need! I always have booklist to read, but can't committed enough to finish/start bc of too much pages. Headway is really helpful and concise with their summary. What I love the most is that the essence of the book is well crafted, so I don't only read the key points, but also there's the story and how personality of the author still well shown through the summary. Well done!

icon

Feninda Amalia

icon

This is outstanding best app ever and honestly whoever came up with is my app is an absolute genius kudos my gratitude definitely goes out and I’m only on my first week free trial and I’m certainly going to purchase this app annually. Now that I have it, I can’t even imagine living without it.

icon

Darlin NIKKIDOLL0923

Have questions?

Asking the right questions brings you closer to achieving your goals

Can I test out Headway before purchasing it for my team?Payment

Sure, we will gladly give you access to our app for a certain period if you are interested in purchasing a corporate subscription for your team. Please fill out the form on the website or email partners@makeheadway.com. We will get back to you soon.

What should I do if some of my employees already have your Premium subscription?Payment

Sure, we will gladly give you access to our app for a certain period if you are interested in purchasing a corporate subscription for your team. Please fill out the form on the website or email partners@makeheadway.com. We will get back to you soon.

Can I increase or decrease the number of subscriptions on my corporate subscription once it’s started?Payment

Sure, we will gladly give you access to our app for a certain period if you are interested in purchasing a corporate subscription for your team. Please fill out the form on the website or email partners@makeheadway.com. We will get back to you soon.

What are the benefits of books summary?

Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.

Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.