Stephen Hawking's Final Book Tackles Questions About God, AI, And Aliens

Famed physicist Stephen Hawking was working on a book at the time of his passing earlier this year. Though he wasn't able to finish it before his death in March, Hawking did make substantial progress on his final work, Brief Answers to the Big Questions, which was finished by his family. The book is available to purchase as of today, and it includes some challenging statements.

Hawking published many books throughout his life, perhaps the most popular being the 1988 bestseller A Brief History of Time. Hawking's final work is targeted at the general public, it being composed of ten chapters tackling big questions the scientist was asked over the years.

Perhaps the biggest question — and most controversial answer — is the god question. The book puts forth the question, "Is there a god?" To which Hawking states, "There is no God. No one directs the universe." The response is no surprise, though, given statements made by Hawking during his life.

The books goes on to state:

For centuries, it was believed that disabled people like me were living under a curse that was inflicted by God. I prefer to think that everything can be explained another way, by the laws of nature.

The book discusses some other big questions, including topics like alien life, gene editing, and black holes. Hawking warns that intelligent non-human life exists elsewhere in the universe, and that humans "need to be wary of answering back until we have developed a bit further."

Brief Answers to the Big Questions is available from book stores, online retailers, and more now.

SOURCE: CNN