One interpretation put forward by physicist Richard Feynman holds that particles don’t have unique histories but every possible history. Many experimental results, while consistent with the theory, defy common experience (see below) and have led to several interpretations concerning the implications for the nature of reality. Quantum mechanics is a very successful theory and has been thoroughly tested. quantum mechanics explains how particles behave at the atomic scale. This view is correct at large scales but does not apply at the atomic scale. In classical (Newtonian) physics, objects have well defined positions, velocities, trajectories and histories. Ironically, much of The Grand Design is philosophical in content. Scientists are now the truth tellers / seekers in our culture. Hawking attempts to deal with key questions: Where did everything come from and how did we get here? Hawking claims philosophy is dead-that it has not kept up with science. Attempts to marry quantum mechanics with relativity have led to theories that imply the universe created itself, says Hawking. The book develops this argument by retracing the history of physics. He claims the fine tuning of physics in our universe is not hard to explain because there are at least 100 500 universes, according to some theories, each with its own unique set of physical laws and constants-we just happen to be living in one of the few universes with the right laws and constants that allow us to exist. In The Grand Design Hawking attempts to show metaphysical naturalism is supported by science. His most recent book, The Grand Design, was published in 2010 by Bantam Books. He is author of the best-selling book A Brief History of Time. Stephen Hawking is Professor of mathematics at Cambridge University where he held the Lucasian Chair at Cambridge for 30 years.

The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking