The Nature of Space and Time

An interesting and fascinating debate between two giants of science, Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose, on the origin and future of the universe.

Einstein stated that the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible. Was he right? Can quantum field theory and Einstein's general theory of relativity, the two most precise and successful theories in all of physics, be united into a single quantum theory of gravity? Although much progress has been made in this quest, Hawking and Penrose insist that much more needs to be done.

In The Nature of Space and Time, these two giants of physics engage in a fundamental debate about the origin of the universe. A book written by two hands, with an updated epilogue, in which the authors summarize how recent events have caused their positions to differ on such important issues as the spatial geometry of the universe or the paradox of the disappearance of information in black holes.

The specialized press says...
«A revealing work on two distinct approaches to some of the greatest unsolved problems in gravitation and cosmology.»
New Scientist

«A debate between Hawking and Penrose raises the reader's expectations of an extraordinary exchange of ideas. In this text, enlivened by Hawking's sense of humor, expectations are more than met.»
The Higher Education

«A magnificent and stimulating intellectual exchange between two top-notch minds.»
Library Journal

«A very interesting read for the present that promises to be even more interesting for future generations of physicists.»
Science

«A document of great scientific rigor.»
Physics World