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  • On the Origin of Time

  • By: Thomas Hertog
  • Narrated by: Ethan Kelly
  • Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
  • 3.7 out of 5 stars (10 ratings)

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On the Origin of Time

By: Thomas Hertog
Narrated by: Ethan Kelly
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Stephen Hawking's closest collaborator offers the intellectual superstar's final thoughts on the cosmos.

One of the biggest questions Stephen Hawking tried to answer in his extraordinary life was how the universe could have created conditions so perfectly hospitable to life. But his famous theory on the Big Bang ran into a crisis when the equations predicted a multiverse - countless different universes, most of which were too bizarre to support life.

Holed away in the physics department at Cambridge, Stephen Hawking and his collaborator Thomas Hertog worked for twenty years on a new theory of the cosmos. Incredibly, as their research took them closer and closer to the Big Bang, physical laws appeared to transform and simplify until particles, forces, and even time itself melted away. This led them to a revolutionary idea: the laws of physics are not set in stone, but evolve even as the universe they govern takes shape.

Living in the Multiverse is the story of a remarkable friendship forged by the quest to understand questions bigger than our universe, peering into the extreme physics of black holes and drawing on new developments in string theory. As Hawking's final days drew near, the two collaborators published a final paper proposing a radical new perspective on the origins of our universe - a new way of thinking that challenges how we think about our place in the order of the cosmos. This book is the legacy of their journey.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Thomas Hertog (P)2023 Penguin Audio
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Critic reviews

'Like his mentor and colleague Stephen Hawking, Thomas Hertog has never shied away from being ambitious in theorizing about the universe. This sweeping book provides an accessible overview of both what we know about cosmology, and some audacious ideas for moving into the unknown. It is an introduction to Hawking's final theory, but also a glimpse into even grander theories yet to come.' (Professor Sean Carroll, author of The Biggest Ideas in the Universe)

'Stephen Hawking's final theory is lucidly explained in this splendidly accessible book. Author Thomas Hertog, one of Hawking's closest collaborators, gives us a vivid insight into Hawking as both a brilliant physicist and an astonishingly determined human being.' (Dr Graham Farmelo, author of The Strangest Man)

What listeners say about On the Origin of Time

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Great book, embarrassing recording

This is a superb book, but the recording is embarrassing. The narrator has not bothered to check details with a physicist, leading to sloppy errors which grate on the ear of anyone even slightly knowledgeable, such as gee-mu-nu repeatedly becoming gee-mu-vee. He mangles all French and even English on occasion, with simultaneity becoming simulteity. This beautiful book deserved better.

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so well explained

Having no special understanding of cosmology and physics, I did not expect to understand the entire book of theories and discoveries, but it is beautifully written and brings virtually everything alive.
I admit to being unable to fully absorb some of the explanations, but absorbed enough to find this book delightful.
Unfortunately the ending was too abruptly an assumption of matters otherwise unproved, and since my own assumptions are quite different, I thought the end a shame.
However, until the final chapter, I thoroughly enjoyed every word and was most impressed

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nothing

total rubbish waste of time none of it makes any sense and boring narration

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