God, Stephen Hawking and the multiverse : what Hawking said and why it matters
by David Hutchings and David Wilkinson SPCK, 2020 210 pages £9.99
ISBN 978 0 281 081 912
also available as an ebook
There are so many plaudits from scientists that there must be something very special about this book. Indeed there is, for to write a book about quantum cosmology, black hole and many universes is demanding enough, but to do so in a language which is intelligible to people with little or no scientific background is a stirling achievement.
The process adopted by the authors is to take Stephen Hawking’s thought as it developed over time, moving from the impasse felt by Einstein (and others, no doubt) endeavouring to reconcile or unify quantum mechanics with general relativity (the very small with the very big, in cosmological terms), all the while looking on infinities with disfavour.
The science is handled with a very light, commendable touch and not a little humour which makes the entire effort palatable. The God question occurs pretty well all the time as it did with Professor Hawking.
The final chapter, ‘The Wisdom of Solomon’, constitutes a careful analysis of Stephen Hawking’s amazing, seminal contributions to the science of cosmology. The verdict is worth reading for itself.
The authors are to be warmly congratulated on a first class (and successful, in this person’s opinion)
effort to make difficult things comprehensible to the layman and keeping the option very much open for a legitimate and reasonable Christian faith.