stephen hawking the grand design summary

I found this section to be the most interesting and mind-boggling of the whole book. The first third of their book is not about current scientific theories at all but is a disquisition on the history and philosophy of science. What one might not expect is that, after pronouncing the death of philosophy, Hawking and Mlodinow should themselves plunge immediately into a philosophical discussion of scientific realism vs. Clearly Mlodinow and Hawking are up to their necks in philosophical questions. They assert their claims about laws of nature, the possibility of miracles, scientific determinism, and the illusion of free will with only the thinnest of justification. One might therefore anticipate that Mlodinow and Hawking’s subsequent exposition of their favored theories will be underpinned by a host of unexamined philosophical presuppositions.

The man who claims to have no need of philosophy is the one most apt to be fooled by it. The professional philosopher will regard their verdict as not merely amazingly condescending but also as outrageously naïve. Mellor, are eminent philosophers of science - for supposedly failing to keep up.

Two scientists, who have to all appearances little acquaintance with philosophy, are prepared to pronounce an entire discipline dead and to insult their own faculty colleagues in philosophy at Cal Tech and Cambridge University - many of whom, such as Michael Redhead and D.H. The professional philosopher can only roll his eyes at the effrontery and condescension of such a statement. Scientists have become the bearers of the torch of discovery in our quest for knowledge.” Philosophy has not kept up with modern developments in science, particularly physics.

Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow open their book The Grand Design with a series of profound questions: What is the nature of reality? Where did all this come from? Did the universe need a Creator? Then they say, “Traditionally these are questions for philosophy, but philosophy is dead.

Stephen hawking the grand design summary