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The Grand Design
- Narrated by: Steve West
- Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins
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The Grand Design
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Summary
In the last 30 years of his life, Albert Einstein searched for a unified theory - a theory which could describe all the forces of nature in a single framework. But the time was not right for such a discovery in Einstein's day.
Neither was the time right when, in 1988, Professor Stephen Hawking wrote A Brief History of Time, in which he took us on a journey through classical physics, Einstein's theory of relativity, quantum physics and string theory in order to explain the universe that we live in. He concluded, like Einstein, that science may soon arrive at the long sought after 'Theory of Everything'.
In this groundbreaking new work, Professor Hawking and renowned science writer Leonard Mlodinow have drawn on 40 years of Hawking's own research and a recent series of extraordinary astronomical observations and theoretical breakthroughs to reveal an original and controversial theory. They convincingly argue that scientific obsession with formulating a single new model may be misplaced, and that by synthesising existing theories we may discover the key to finally understanding the universe's deepest mysteries.
Written with the clarity and lively style for which Hawking is famous, The Grand Design is an account of Hawking's quest to fuse these different strands of scientific theory. It examines the differences between past and future, explains the nature of reality and asks an all-important question: How far can we go in our search for understanding and knowledge?
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What listeners say about The Grand Design
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Thomas Brown
- 15-02-21
Thought provoking but not as in depth as I hoped.
Im a big fan of Stephen Hawking's books so jumped at the chance to listen to this one. I particularly loved the introductions around historical philosophies, that worked well to introduce the more modern scientific theories and discoveries and then to link it off towards future discoveries. As thought provoking as it way, it was not as in depth as I hoped, I'd have happily paid and listened to a lengthier, more in depth version.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JM
- 06-12-16
Not simple but who thought it would be?
Sometimes hard to follow bit surely that isn't a surprise considering the subject matter. Concepts are explained well and I really enjoyed the book, it has sparked an interest for me to read further on the subject.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ianek
- 16-05-15
Brilliant Ideas+Born Communicator = True Genius
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Endlessly fascinating and accessible examination of Life, the Universe and Everything. Even Marvin would approve...probably.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Grand Design?
Everything between the covers.
What does Steve West bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Just the right voice and delivery for the subject. A full range of emotional expression to do justice to a brilliantly lucid examination of the mysteries which consume us all.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It made me excited to explore the physical universe and the hidden universe of sub atomic particles, to be allowed to journey on the coattails of a great mind and someone with a great thirst for knowledge and wonderful sense of enthusiasm for life as well as a fine sense of humour.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Chris Crowe
- 03-04-18
Good but doesn't go much further than SH's others
Good but doesn't go much further than SH's others. Can listen in 4 hours so good for an afternoon.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs
- 14-05-12
Is the Science is correct? Brill nevertheless!
Captivating description of modern science. However I suspect some of the recent leaps of faith may not stand up to as much scrutiny as Einstein did.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Jeremy
- 27-06-11
Mind boggling book, well read....
A mind boggling book, as you might expect from Stephen Hawkins, where he argues from the "No Boundaries" theory of alternative histories for abandoning the search for a single unified "Theory of Everything", and instead adopt "Model Dependant Realism", underpinning a network of different scientific theories, which may not always be fully compatible (e.g. QM and Relativity).
This web of theories is the famous "M Theory", involving supergravity, string
theory, QM, Relativity, Brane theory and so on. Interestingly, although the authors argue consistently against the need for a divine creative intelligence, their thesis was more consistent with Process Philosophy, than with our conventional Cartesian substance ontology.
Some crass statements jar, such as the arguments for determinism (and against free will), which is surprising as they elsewhere argue for the non-deterministic nature of quantum uncertainty. They also repeat the over simplistic "Heroic Science" myth of the Copernican model being opposed on religious grounds, without mentioning the then valid scientific grounds for opposition such as the parallax problem. The book is also quite short at 4.5 hrs. However, these are minor quibbles.
The reader: Steve West is excellent: measured and concise, and easy to listen to. I can only think that the reviewer who found it hurried, had their iPad/iPhone set to 2x reading speed! Judge for yourself on the sample! Overall, an excellent
audiobook if you like popular science.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M C Shield
- 08-08-17
A glimpse into such a beautiful mind
Such a beautiful read, although I couldn't grasp the full extent of all the concepts. It was a real privilege to glimpse into such a beautiful mind. Often humorous, always insightful. Occasionally the authors frustrations surface at the still Neanderthal behaviour of society. I feel more a ease knowing minds like these are at work and play pondering the meaning of it all.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Jose
- 08-05-16
Physics history lesson
Nothing new here, barely explained the m theory . Performance was good and easy to follow, but I guess I was expecting new ideas and not a recollection of human achievements since Greek time...
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Catherine
- 24-12-12
Best book in a long long time
Fantastic, more question than answers yet so stasitying to know so many others feel the same, in more mind-boggling ways.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Frank
- 04-10-10
Fantastic, thought provoking book
This is one of the most interesting a thought provoking books I have ever read. Some of the concepts are so mind blowing I had to listen twice to even begin to understand. The books gives a very readable overview of the current thinking on the theory of 'life, the universe and everything'.
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5 people found this helpful