Stephen Hawking was one of the world's greatest scientists. He battled amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for more than 50 years, and produced groundbreaking work in physics, cosmology and popular science. His book, “A Brief History of Time” (1988), which sold more than 10 million copies in 20 years, made him a household name — along with TV appearances on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “The Big Bang Theory” and “The Simpsons.”
Hawking's final book, “Brief Answers to the Big Questions,” was in development before he passed away last March. It pulls together some of his responses to queries he received about science and religion. He was fascinating, witty and controversial, and often made you think about your personal beliefs, even if he never succeeded in changing your mind.
The book's first question starts things off with a (big) bang, “Is there a God?”
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