The Grand Design (book)

The Grand Design
First edition cover
AuthorsStephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow
LanguageEnglish
PublisherBantam Books
Publication date
September 7, 2010
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages208
ISBN978-0-553-80537-6
Preceded byGod Created the Integers 
Followed byThe Dreams That Stuff Is Made Of 

The Grand Design is a popular-science book written by physicists Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow and published by Bantam Books in 2010. The book examines the history of scientific knowledge about the universe and explains eleven-dimensional M-theory. The authors of the book point out that a Unified Field Theory (a theory, based on an early model of the universe, proposed by Albert Einstein and other physicists) may not exist.[1]

It argues that invoking God is not necessary to explain the origins of the universe, and that the Big Bang is a consequence of the laws of physics alone.[2] In response to criticism, Hawking said: "One can't prove that God doesn't exist, but science makes God unnecessary."[3] When pressed on his own religious views by the 2010 Channel 4 documentary Genius of Britain, he clarified that he did not believe in a personal God.[4][5]

Published in the United States on September 7, 2010, the book became the number one bestseller on Amazon.com just a few days after publication.[6][7] It was published in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2010, and became the number two bestseller on Amazon.co.uk on the same day. It topped the list of adult non-fiction books of The New York Times Non-fiction Best Seller list in September–October 2010.[8]

  1. ^ Michael Moorcock (2010-09-05). "Book review: 'The Grand Design' by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  2. ^ Richard Allen Greene (2010-09-02). "Stephen Hawking: God didn't create universe". CNN. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
  3. ^ Nick Watt (2010). "Stephen Hawking: 'Science Makes God Unnecessary'". ABC News. Retrieved 2015-05-01.
  4. ^ Laura Roberts (2010-09-02). "Stephen Hawking: God was not needed to create the Universe". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-05-01.
  5. ^ Graham Farmello (2010-09-03). "Has Stephen Hawking ended the God debate?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-05-01.
  6. ^ Dwight Garner (2010-09-07). "Many Kinds of Universes, and None Require God". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
  7. ^ Nate Freeman (2010-09-03). "Hawking's Book Shoots to Top of Amazon Sales After He Denies God's Existence". The New York Observer. Retrieved 2015-05-01.
  8. ^ "Hardcover Nonfiction". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2013.