Who Crafted the "Design"? — Reflections on Stephen Hawking's The Grand Design

"By whose hand was 'The Grand Design' crafted? — Reflections after reading Stephen Hawking's The Grand Design"

“Why is there something rather than nothing? Why does the universe exist? Why do we exist?” — These are the “mysteries of existence” that the universe-loving Stephen Hawking seeks to answer in The Grand Design ^[1]. This is fundamentally a traditional philosophical question and an ultimate query concerning the universe, all things, and life itself; humanity's pursuit of this answer has never ceased over thousands of years. Today, scientists, philosophers, and theologians have arrived at the intersection of these three fields, each searching for an answer: Who created the universe and us? Who “designed” all of this?

Here, we will discuss why Hawking sought to answer this question, how he answered it, and what enlightenment his answer offers us.

I. The Grand Design aims to explain: By whose hand was the universe crafted?

1. The "Mystery of Existence" that has long perplexed humanity

More than a decade ago, two books took the world by storm: one was Sophie’s World ^[2], and the other was A Brief History of Time. Today, The Grand Design has reproduced the phenomenon of its predecessors.

Centering on the questions “Who are you?” and “Where did the world come from?”, Sophie’s World surveys the entire history of world philosophy from the Pre-Socratics to the 20th century with the suspense of a detective novel. Its capacity to “awaken in everyone's inner depths a praise for life and a concern and curiosity for the ultimate meaning of human existence” led to its translation into 35 languages and its position at the top of global bestseller lists, earning it a reputation as the world's most readable and accessible philosophical marvel.

A Brief History of Time, meanwhile, is an “authoritative summary by a contemporary physicist on the composition, creation, and evolution of the universe.” It is “fascinating and lucid… allowing readers the opportunity to learn profound science directly from the source.” Since 1988, it has been translated into 40 languages with over 10 million copies distributed globally, becoming a wonder in the history of international publishing. Unfortunately, due to the highly abstract nature of modern cosmological theory itself, it is difficult for laypeople to understand. Consequently, many are interested, but few truly comprehend it.

Judging by the popularity of such books, the world is clearly preoccupied with the “mystery of existence.” As Hawking notes at the beginning of The Grand Design: “How can we understand the world in which we find ourselves? How does the universe behave? What is the nature of reality? Most of us do not spend most of our time worrying about these questions, but almost all of us must at some time wonder.” (p. 3). The purpose of Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow in co-authoring The Grand Design was to answer this question from the perspective of scientific theoretical prediction.

2. The eternal inquiry and search for the "Mystery of Existence"

The popularity of the aforementioned books is a cultural reflection of society’s concern with such “ultimate questions.” Film, as another form of socio-cultural medium, has also reflected these conceptual issues. For instance, Pumbaa the warthog in the animated film The Lion King gazes up at the vast starry sky in the dead of night and asks: “What’s up there?” and “Why are we here?” This anthropomorphic form—using the mouth of an animal to express human thought—demonstrates that in human culture, the inquiry into the “mystery of existence” is profound, ancient, and significant.

From antiquity to the present, how has humanity answered these questions?

The earliest answers were myths and legends. Every ancient civilization had its own creation myths, such as China’s Pangu separating heaven and earth and Nüwa ^[3] molding humans from clay; or Zeus, the father of the Greek gods, creating the deities and controlling everything in the world. Hawking argues that “the ignorance of the ancients regarding natural ways led them to invent gods to lord over every aspect of human life.” “These gods seemed inscrutable, and people were at the mercy of their whims.” (p. 13).

Around the 5th or 6th century BCE, Greek scientists and philosophers began to view the world they inhabited through an entirely new lens, for the first time excluding the gods. The resolution of the “mystery of existence” began to progress; a rationalized view of nature emerged, along with the idea that humans do not reside at the center of the universe. Hawking believes that Thales’ idea—that “nature follows consistent principles that can be explained”—marked the “beginning of a long process of replacing the reign of the gods with the concept of a universe governed by laws of nature and created according to a blueprint that we will one day be able to read.” (p. 13).

In the Middle Ages, the science of the Greek scholars was once again replaced by theological concepts due to its own limitations—namely, vague concepts and the conflation of divine action. The “mystery of existence” then had only theological answers. With the doctrine of the Six Days of Creation serving as the foundation of religious theology, the idea that God created the universe, all things, and humanity—and that He controls and intervenes in all worldly affairs—became a deeply rooted social belief, concept, and code of conduct. This was manifested in intellectual and socio-cultural fields such as literature, art, philosophy, science, and ethics. It was believed that the laws of nature were expressions of the cosmic order created by God, and that science and philosophy existed to provide proof of God's existence. Representative figures included the theological theorist Aquinas and the thinker of teleological physics, Aristotle. The theological assertion that God created the universe and all things while controlling everything in the world has persisted as a tradition at the core of human cultural concepts, and its influence remains today.

With the Renaissance leading to the modern scientific revolution, Copernicus’s heliocentrism, the astronomical and physical discoveries of Galileo and Kepler based on observation, and later Newton—who synthesized the theoretical discoveries of physicists before him—constructed the system of classical Newtonian mechanics. Astronomy and physics achieved great successes, which subsequently changed people’s conceptions of the universe. The “mystery of existence” gained a different set of answers: the Earth revolves around the sun and is not the center of the universe; once given an initial state, the motion of objects follows the laws of mechanics, and people can predict the outcome. Thus, the universe was like a great machine, operating in an orderly fashion according to natural laws.

However, this mechanistic-determinist worldview only described how all things in the world operate, without explaining why they could operate this way. The scientific achievements of the time still could not answer: “How was the universe produced?” or “How did we get here?” Consequently, many scientists of that era, deeply influenced by Christian theological thought, naturally assumed these were arranged by God, including the formulation of natural laws. Many scientists like Descartes and Newton assigned God the role of the universe's founder, believing that God decreed the laws of nature as a reflection of His own essence; once God set the world in motion, He no longer interfered with it. Newton’s view of “God as the First Mover of the Earth” is a representative perspective. Furthermore, they believed that the scientific discovery of natural laws was the best proof of God’s existence. At that time, the answer to the “mystery of existence” remained divine determinism; humanity had not yet been liberated from the intellectual shackles of the divine.

However, the nebular hypothesis of the origin of the solar system proposed by the astronomer Laplace and the philosopher Kant changed this situation. They could explain the formation process of the solar system using only natural laws, arguing that the Earth’s revolution around the sun did not require the introduction of the concept of God. This liberated science from theological bondage and changed the notion that God creates and controls everything. Hawking evaluates Laplace as the “first to clearly propose scientific determinism,” which “given the state of the universe at one time, a complete set of laws fully determines its future and its past. This excludes the possibility of miracles or an active role for God.” (p. 24).

Thereafter, because of Laplace’s revolution in cosmic concepts, philosophers’ questioning of God began to appear continuously. Representative figures include the famous philosopher Nietzsche, who asserted that “God is dead,” and Bertrand Russell, whose essay “Why I Am Not a Christian” used the scientific discoveries of the time to theoretically negate the absurdity of theism. People began to realize that God was merely a mysterious placeholder used to explain the unknown, rather than a genuine explanation for anything. The universe is a natural universe, not a divinely created one; it is a universe that operates according to natural laws and requires no supernatural factors. People can rationally conduct scientific exploration, develop more scientific laws, and achieve results in scientific understanding. These concepts gradually became a consensus.

As the boundaries of scientific knowledge expanded, everything originally explained by the mysterious proxy of “God” gradually received partial explanation through natural laws. Consequently, the idea that God dominates everything and directs every field of society had to change. Within the cultural landscape, religious concepts yielded to science in many fields, retreating step-by-step into the realm of faith. They ceased to be the mainstream ideology of socio-political culture, and science became the protagonist in the cultural torrent.

However, questions concerning the origin of the universe, the Earth, and life remain at the frontier of current science. There, the “mystery of existence” has not been fully resolved, and God still finds a use. When others lack evidence and dare not be certain, the mysterious proxy—God—assumes a special explanatory power, comforting the doubt and unease people feel toward ultimate questions with an air of absolute certainty.

3. By whose hand was the universe crafted?

With the development of modern physics, modern cosmology—built on the foundations of quantum mechanics and general relativity—proposed the Big Bang model of the universe. Who created the universe? Is a supernatural intelligent being (God) required to create the universe and us? At the boundary of scientific exploration, the “mystery of existence” has once again brought scientists, philosophers, and theologians together; in the intersection of science and religion, they each hold their own particular answers.

The models and theories of contemporary cosmology established upon the Big Bang model are too abstract for the average non-specialist to understand. Moreover, they profoundly alter human intuitive experience and conventional thinking, as well as our concepts of the world. Therefore, everyone's understanding of it differs. For example, a layperson might intuitively and literally understand it to mean: the Big Bang proves the universe had a beginning, moving from nothing to something, with time moving from zero to the present.

Who ignited this explosive process? Who allowed life to exist? The theologian’s answer: the universe came from the hand of God (or a “special intelligent being,” a synonym for God). Because the famous medieval theologian St. Augustine said, “time is a property of the world that God created, and time did not exist before the creation” (p. 42), the Big Bang serves as the perfect proof of God’s existence. Proponents of “Intelligent Design” argue that the reason our universe can support life is that there is a special set of natural laws and physical constants that make our existence possible. These seem to have been specifically designed; therefore, an intelligent designer must exist who designed everything in the universe. The word “design” is a very fashionable term in modern social conceptions of the universe; for some, it acts as a proxy for divine will—something God did intentionally.

However, many physical scientists like Hawking believe these views are misunderstandings or distortions of Big Bang theory. The Big Bang does not prove the existence of God, and the evolutionary process of the universe and life does not require any “special design” by an “intelligent being.” The universe was created naturally under the laws of physics and operates according to natural laws. The universe is entirely the product of nature’s hand and requires no supernatural factors—neither God nor an “intelligent designer.”

In The Grand Design, Hawking argues that following quantum mechanics, general relativity, particle physics, and string theory, M-theory is the latest theory in cosmology, which may also be called the “Theory of Everything.” It is “a family of different theories, each of which is a good description of observations only in some range of physical situations” (p. 6), and is the “latest image that leads us to the universe and our position in it, an image that is quite different from the traditional one, and even from the image we drew only ten or twenty years ago.” (p. 3). For example, in the 11-dimensional spacetime of M-theory, time is only one dimension. Furthermore, in the physical spacetime at the creation of the universe, the time dimension and seven of the spatial dimensions were automatically eliminated under the deduction of physical laws. Hawking “realized that time behaving like space presents a new alternative. It not only removes the age-old objection to the universe having a beginning, but also means that the beginning of the universe was governed by the laws of science and did not need to be set in motion by some god.” (p. 117).

4. Hawking’s cosmic picture and its understanding

Hawking states at the end of the first chapter, "The Mystery of Being": "According to M-theory, ours is not the only universe. Instead, M-theory predicts that a great many universes were created out of nothing. Their creation does not require the intervention of some supernatural being or god. Rather, these multiple universes arise naturally from physical law. They are a prediction of science. Each universe has many possible histories and many possible states at later times, that is, at times like the present, long after their creation. Most of these states will be quite unlike the universe we observe and quite unsuitable for the existence of any form of life. Only a very few would allow creatures like us to exist. Thus our presence selects out from this vast ensemble only those universes that are compatible with our existence. Although we are puny and insignificant on the scale of the cosmos, this makes us in a sense the lords of creation." (p. 7)

This passage can be understood in layman's terms as follows: First, many universes may exist, and physical laws allow them to be created naturally from nothing without the need for supernatural forces or divine intervention; second, there are many possibilities for the state of a universe after its creation—some allow for life, while others do not; third, our current universe is one among a multitude of universes and post-creation states, and its operating natural laws and physical constants happen to be those that allow us to exist, thereby enabling us to observe today's existence (if this were not the case, we would have no need to be here discussing it); fourth, due to the three points above, we are merely a chance occurrence among many universes rather than a special existence; we were neither specifically created nor specifically designed—everything exists and occurs within the operation of natural laws. Even if we are the "lords of creation," we remain fragile and ordinary within the vastness of the cosmos.

From this, we can see that Hawking’s understanding of the meaning of the universe, all things, and the existence of life is purely naturalistic, devoid of any supernatural factors.

II. How The Grand Design Interprets the Meaning of the Universe, All Things, and the Existence of Life

1. The Metaphor in the Title The Grand Design—Natural Reality Rather than Divine Design

The title The Grand Design evokes deep-seated questions: How did the world come to be? Scientists have discovered the mysteries of the world—the laws of nature—which show the universe to be so orderly that it seems as if it were designed by something. Who, ultimately, designed us? Was it God, or is nature simply this way? Such questions are frequently raised, and consequently, proponents of "intelligent design" have been very active over the last decade or so.

Hawking also uses the term "Great Design" (translated as Grand Design) at the end of the book, reflecting an excitement when commenting on the value of a new theory of the universe. He points out: "M-theory is the unified theory Einstein was hoping to find. The fact that we human beings—who are ourselves mere collections of fundamental particles of nature—have been able to come this close to an understanding of the laws governing us and our universe is a great triumph." "If the theory is confirmed by observation, it will be the successful conclusion of a search going back more than 3,000 years. We will have found the grand design." (p. 154) His "Grand Design" here is not the supernatural, mysterious "design" spoken of in theology, but refers to the search for a unified theory of cosmic regularities—a set of natural laws that can explain observed cosmic phenomena. His use of the word "design"—a term used by traditional theology to answer ultimate questions—is likely intended to express that his scientific predictions negate the notion of "supernatural mysterious design." It is his interpretation of the specific meaning of "God," a form of negative metaphor. This can be taken as one way to understand the symbolic meaning of the title The Grand Design.

2. What Problems Does The Grand Design Decipher?—The Radiance of Scientific Reason

The entire book revolves around the meaning of the universe, all things, and the existence of life, deciphering step by step what M-theory actually entails. Through eight chapters—“The Mystery of Being,” “The Rule of Law,” “What Is Reality,” “Alternative Histories,” “The Theory of Everything,” “Choosing Our Universe,” “The Apparent Miracle,” and “The Grand Design”—Hawking elucidates ultimate inquiries and traditional philosophical questions that have persisted for millennia: Who created the universe and us, making everything what it is today? He also analyzes why such a "Theory of Everything" is rational.

(1) How is the question of rationality raised?

Hawking’s scientific version of the story of cosmic creation is a scientific prediction based on M-theory. It exceeds the understanding provided by our traditional cultural concepts and intuitive experiences, and it changes conventional modes of thinking (transforming "bottom-up" thinking, which moves from the past toward the future, into "top-down" thinking, which infers the past from the present). Crucially, M-theory predicts that the universe is entirely natural, excluding the mysterious factor of God.

Of course, stating an attitude is easy, but supporting it requires evidence. On what basis, then, do we believe that M-theory is rational? This leads directly to the question of why we should believe in scientific or natural laws. Some have questioned the objective rationality of science, arguing that "laws of nature" are merely theoretical hypotheses of scientists—a kind of "human construct." Furthermore, these individuals are willing to believe that the orderliness of the universe is a concept acting as a pillar for the edifice of science, yet God is the legislator of these rules and laws. Therefore, the notion that "God established order" has long been embedded within the fabric of scientific theory... leading to the conclusion that science also requires religious guidance.

What is the actual situation?

Hawking’s approach to solving this problem follows these steps: First, through the process of human cognition and understanding of natural regularities (expressed as natural laws), he clarifies the rationality of natural laws in the modern sense. Second, using the effective natural laws and theoretical models developed by science to date, he explains the explanatory mode used by modern science—the rationality based on "model-dependent realism." Third, he interprets M-theory as a synthesis of current cutting-edge scientific theories (quantum field theory, particle physics, general relativity, string theory, etc.) to explain the modern cosmological view, with its rationality inheriting the rationality of these underlying theories. This argumentative process fully demonstrates the radiance and power of scientific reason.

(2) Recognizing and understanding natural regularities—a tortuous and arduous process

Human thought has achieved continuous progress through the recognition and understanding of natural laws. The discussion of this process is the logical starting point for Hawking’s explanation of the rationality of M-theory. Personally, I believe this is one of the brilliant highlights of The Grand Design. Hawking’s basic intellectual path is as follows:

First, he elucidates the science of the Ionian Greeks and raises the question of natural laws. Hawking admires a view of nature from the ancient Greek period—that "nature can be explained through general laws and reduced to a simple set of principles." He credits Thales with proposing the "idea that nature follows consistent principles that can be explained." He lists "the first people to explain natural phenomena through natural laws rather than theology or myth": for instance, Pythagoras, the first to use mathematical expression; Archimedes, who discovered the laws of the lever, buoyancy, and reflection; Anaximander, who saw through observation and reason that the universe possesses an internal order; and Democritus, who proposed atomism. Hawking specifically mentions Aristarchus, the first to propose the concept that "we are but ordinary inhabitants of the universe, not occupying its center or being superior, special creatures" (p. 16). Hawking believes that "the Ionian conception of a non-anthropocentric universe was a milestone in our understanding of the cosmos" (p. 17). This was the beginning of humanity employing reason to break free from the shackles of the divine.

Second, he elucidates the first "twist" that occurred on the path of human thought. Hawking believes that the ideas of ancient Greek scientists were later submerged because their theories did not "serve as targets for practical verification," and thus did not meet the "standard" ^[4] of modern science. Furthermore, "there was no clear distinction between humans and physical laws," and "universal rules for human behavior—such as honoring the gods and obeying parents—were often included in natural laws." Physical processes were "often described in legal terms and believed to be enforced." Aristotle abandoned the foundational methods and practical behaviors of observing nature required by science; instead, using pure "reason," he established a "teleological" physics. He focused only on "why" nature behaved, not "how" it behaved, believing that everything happened for the "pleasure" of God. This tradition continued to influence thinkers for many centuries, producing the "notion that natural laws must be intentionally obeyed" (p. 17).

In the early 13th century, the Christian philosopher Thomas Aquinas adopted this view and used it to argue for the existence of God, laying the theoretical foundation for religious dominance throughout the Middle Ages. At that time, "rejecting the notion that neutral natural laws govern the universe" and "rejecting the notion that humans do not occupy a dominant position in the universe" became the dominant cosmological views, holding that "the universe is merely God's dollhouse, and religion is a far more valuable subject of study than natural phenomena." Simultaneously, the "idea that nature follows laws" was considered "blameworthy" because "it conflicted with the omnipotence of God" (p. 19). Human thought was once again suppressed within a divine framework, representing the first twist on the road of reason.

Hawking also provides an objective analysis, noting that "in antiquity, precise measurement and mathematical calculation were difficult," and "the equals sign and clocks capable of timing seconds did not appear until the 16th century" (p. 18). We can now understand that in the absence of scientific means for observing nature and mathematical expression, the pace of human thought could only stall in fantasy and speculation and could not develop into modern science.

Third, he elucidates that "the modern concept of natural laws appeared in the 17th century." Modern science began with Copernicus's heliocentric theory, and by the 17th century, the modern concept of natural laws emerged. Natural regularities, as an objective existence reflecting the essence of the material world, were expressed in the form of natural laws. This demonstrated that the natural order of the universe follows patterns that can be repeatedly observed and tested; meanwhile, they can effectively predict future results and sustain further verification. Natural laws are not vague or hazy; they can be accurately expressed using concepts and terminology in the form of mathematical equations. Kepler was the first to use the concept of natural laws in the modern sense. Galileo was the first to develop observation and experiment as scientific methods; through them, he discovered numerous laws and proposed two important principles: observation is the basis of science, and the goal of science is to study the quantitative relationships existing between physical phenomena. Descartes was the first to explicitly and rigorously formulate the concept of natural laws: all physical phenomena are governed by laws, these laws are valid at all times and in all places, and obedience to these laws does not imply that moving objects possess a spirit. Given initial conditions, objects move according to laws, and the results of their motion can be accurately predicted. Newton’s outstanding achievements in mechanics, astronomy, and optics allowed classical physics to gradually become a knowledge system encompassing many physical phenomena and laws of the time, among which his Three Laws and the Law of Universal Gravitation explained the cosmic observations of the day quite well.

Fourth, he elucidates the second twist in human cognition: God remained within the "mystery of being." The immense achievements of science led to a growth in rational reflection: since the laws of natural operation can always be found behind changes in physical phenomena, who established these natural laws? Hawking believes: "With the renewed belief in the existence of natural laws, people attempted to reconcile those laws with the idea of God." This is seen in the views of scientists like Descartes and Newton mentioned above. In effect, God still possessed the power to create and control the natural laws of the universe; God remained in the realm of the "mystery of being."

Fifth, he elucidates the second milestone of human thought breaking free from theological shackles. The nebular hypothesis for the origin of the solar system led Laplace to completely discard God and propose scientific determinism. Hawking evaluates Laplace: he "given the state of the universe at one time, a complete set of laws fully determines both its future and its past. This excludes the possibility of miracles or an active role for God." He is "generally considered the first to clearly propose scientific determinism" (p. 24). Laplace’s scientific determinism laid the intellectual foundation for the future development of science and was the second milestone in the history of human thought's liberation from theological constraints.

Sixth, he elucidates the process of exploring how to understand natural laws and affirms the rationality of natural laws.

Laws of nature, as the most rational explanation of the natural world, have gained universal acceptance through the development of modern science. However, there are differing understandings regarding how to interpret them. In his approach to understanding natural laws, Hawking devotes a large portion of the book to describing how scientists, philosophers, and theologians have discussed three important questions in different ways: "What is the origin of the laws?", "Are there any exceptions to the laws, i.e., miracles?", and "Is there only one set of possible laws?" (p. 24). His purpose is to clarify how complex and tortuous the process of understanding natural laws has been. The traditional answer lies in Christian theology—that the laws are the handiwork of God—but Hawking argues that "this is no more than a definition of God as the embodiment of the laws of nature" and that "using God as a response to the first question merely substitutes one mystery for another" (p. 23). "The answer this book gives to the second question, based on the concept of scientific determinism, is that there are no miracles or exceptions to the laws of nature" (p. 27). He asserts with great certainty that no "miracles" occur, including within the realm of human free will. Nature can self-adjust; therefore, the absence of divine intervention is sufficient to explain why it has persisted to this day. To handle complex issues like human free will, people adopt the method of "effective theories."

Regarding the rationality of identifying natural laws, Hawking says: "Aristotle and Plato, like Descartes and later Einstein, believed that the principles of nature exist out of 'necessity,' that is, because they are the only logically reasonable rules." This is a conclusion reached after thousands of years of exploration; it is the result of the application and selection of human rationality. Acknowledging the rationality of these laws and rules represents another step forward for human thought.

The reason Hawking reviews this historical process is, in fact, to demonstrate how scientific rationality has continuously grown within the development of human thought and how it has manifested great power in advancing the process of human civilization. Employing a scientific historical outlook, he unblinkingly analyzes the twists and turns in the development of human thought—that is, how, limited by the constraints of history and the means of observation and mathematics, science has appeared to return to the constraints of theology or has been interfered with by theological ideas to varying degrees. He reminds us that the process of human thought can only break through historical limitations and replace mysterious faith with scientific rationality through an open and endless process of scientific exploration.

In theological explanations, the question of the creation of the universe is the "Genesis" of God. This is merely a description of a miraculous story; it fails to explain why it happened or who created God. Fundamentally speaking, using God as an explanation is to explain the mysterious with the mysterious; in reality, nothing is explained. When people are in doubt, saying "it was arranged by God" is either a form of helplessness or a form of laziness. Because God blocks the path of contemplation, people no longer delve deeper, and the progress of thought is thus severed. However, a lack of explanation does not mean the problem does not exist. M-theory, developed to its current state, is the result of the continuous application of scientific rationality. It is the latest explanation of the "mystery of existence" and the most recent result of scientific exploration.

(3) The Rationality of M-Theory

First, it follows the principle of scientific determinism. By recalling this tortuous process, Hawking illustrates how humanity moved from the ignorance of millennia toward the clarity of rationality, concluding that natural laws control the order and operation of the universe—arriving at scientific determinism rather than the conclusion of divine intervention. He further argues: "In fact, it is the basis of all modern science and a principle that is important throughout this book (The Grand Design). A scientific law is not a scientific law if it holds only when some supernatural being decides not to intervene" (p. 24). This demonstrates both the rationality of M-theory as a scientific law of nature and Hawking's attitude of pure scientific rationality—excluding supernatural factors from natural laws.

Second, the "model-dependent realism" it employs is a method successfully tested and passed down through the history of science; its theory possesses the characteristics of open exploration and verification. Looking back at the last 400 years of physics, the edifice of classical physics was successfully built using theoretical models such as material points, point charges, ideal gases, and simple harmonic waves, along with concepts of various interactions and fields. It explained the physical phenomena of macroscopic, low-speed motion—that is, our daily phenomena—quite well. With the establishment of atomic physics based on models of atomic structure (electron clouds and nuclei), we entered the realm of the high-speed motion of microscopic matter. Relying on particle models such as quarks, we established quantum physics, particle physics, and even modern cosmology. These constitute the recent parts of the edifice of scientific theory; they can well explain the phenomena of the microscopic and macroscopic worlds observed by modern scientific instruments—cyclotrons and the Hubble Space Telescope. M-theory takes a step further on this basis by synthesizing existing effective theories to describe the picture of the birth and evolution of the universe. Furthermore, it explains the astronomical observations we have already obtained, and its scientific predictions will continue to be tested by new observations until a large number of facts contradicting the predictions appear and a new theory takes its place. This objectivity and exploratory nature of M-theory also embody the rationality of a scientific theory.

III. What The Grand Design Has Changed—Inspirations for Us

1. The Grand Design brings a new revolution in the outlook on the universe—fundamentally excluding God

Whenever the essence of the universe and material particles is involved, every major discovery in astronomy and physical science brings a shock to human culture. Copernicus’s heliocentric theory once liberated natural science from theology; Kant and Laplace’s nebular hypothesis ^[5] regarding the origin of the solar system opened the first breach in the 18th-century metaphysical view of nature. Modern cosmology, based on general relativity and quantum mechanics, has changed the view of a flat and infinite spacetime established by classical physics since Newton. Space curves due to gravity, and time slows down due to velocity. Whether microscopic or macroscopic, particles possess wave-particle duality and exhibit uncertainty in time and position. The Big Bang theory indicates that the universe has a starting point and a history of evolution. These have dealt a blow to people’s notions of eternal certainty. Now, in Hawking’s conception of the universe, multiple universes, alternative histories, and the discarding of God-related time factors at the birth of the universe have brought forth a new world picture of the universe. It has completely broken free from theological shackles on ultimate questions, stripping God of his final remaining territory. Through this worldview, core concepts in our traditional culture will also change, inevitably bringing cultural and social impacts.

2. The socio-cultural significance of The Grand Design—encouraging the growth of scientific rationality

Humans are the "soul of all things" ^[6] who act through the conscious use of concepts. Our behavior is governed by a system of ideas composed of a series of concepts, and these ideas are the fundamental elements constituting social culture. Among them, the concept of the universe is one of the core ideas in human social culture. It is a conception of the world regarding the laws governing the operation of the heavens and the earth; it holds an important position in the system of human ideas and becomes an ideological foundation influencing social culture. In today’s global culture, traditional supernatural beliefs coexist with the worldview of modern scientific civilization.

Ancient Greece produced a view of nature that was the germ of science. Laplace’s thought on scientific determinism was a milestone in humanity’s two attempts to break free from divine bondage. Based on astronomical achievements, people believe the universe is vast and infinite, with major star clusters, galaxies, stars, planets, and satellites operating in an orderly fashion across different levels, and we have discovered many natural laws governing their operation. Our Earth is merely a planet with life in the solar system, not the center of the universe. The scientific understanding of the universe, the Earth, and life also lets us know that they have undergone a process of continuous evolution. This is the general conception of the universe. On this basis, people's understanding of God has transformed from a sacred faith that explains and controls everything into a traditional icon that no longer interferes with our universe or our daily lives.

Therefore, in modern socio-culture, because science has continuously achieved successes, it has improved humanity’s ability to understand and transform nature. It plays an increasingly important role in social life and its social status is rising. Venerating science and rationality has increasingly become the mainstream social consciousness. The scientific worldview has influenced social behavior and value orientations, and more and more people tend to lead secular, non-religious lives. In the socio-cultural landscape, scientific culture occupies an increasingly important position. Meanwhile, the status of religious belief has declined, gradually receding to a secondary position in socio-cultural life and becoming a branch of traditional culture.

However, starting from the 1960s and 70s, "New Age" movements and new religious movements began to rise generally in Western countries. Three trends of thought—obscurantism reviving religious faith, mysticism promoting supernatural phenomena, and postmodernism denying science—have formed, exerting a huge influence on society and the public. They hold a skeptical or even negative attitude toward modern science, reigniting the fervor of religious belief and fiercely challenging the scientific rationality of modern civilization. The decades-long debate over "Intelligent Design" in the United States (the view that a special intelligent designer designed the universe to allow us to exist, which is actually a version of creationism) and the multiple lawsuits it triggered is a true case in point. In the last ten or twenty years, modern secular humanists and Chinese atheists, in response to the global prevalence of these three trends, have called for a new Enlightenment. They aim to return scientific rationality to the primary position in modern culture, encouraging people to act based on a scientific worldview, live non-religious (or atheistic) lives, and rely on science to seek human well-being in reality.

Will we continue down the path of scientific exploration, or return to the old path of ignorance and mysterious faith?

Hawking’s answer in The Grand Design, from the perspective of scientific prediction, responds to the claims made by theology in recent years, especially regarding the roles of God and an "intelligent designer" in ultimate questions. These issues involve the background of the discussion on the relationship between science and religion. Over the past 30 years, along with the questions raised by modern cosmology, research by domestic and foreign scholars on the relationship between science and religion has formed a surge. Organizations, scholars, papers, books, courses, and conferences conducting research from historical and realistic perspectives have all shown a sharp increase. The questions focus on: "Does the Big Bang model of the universe prove God?", "Is there an intelligent being who designed us?", "Can science and religion merge?", and "Can religion guide science?" These were all generated in the process of answering the "mystery of existence."

These questions have become practical issues of great public concern, and theological answers have directly provided the theoretical foundation for the three trends of thought prevailing worldwide. Consequently, this has already triggered fierce debates in academic circles, with theologians, scientists, and philosophers all participating and articulating their respective views. Hawking’s world conception of the origin of the universe, the generation of all things, and the meaning of life’s existence, in a theoretical sense, uses a purely naturalistic and atheistic attitude to clarify theological confusion and clear the mist from people’s understanding. It leads the discussion on the relationship between science and religion onto a more rational scientific path, weakening the theoretical confidence of those advocating for fanatical faith. It has left the promoters and supporters of "intelligent design"—which is "creationism" in disguise—and "religion-guided science" feeling very disappointed. At the same time, Hawking’s answers provide the public with more intellectual references.

Will Hawking’s theoretical prediction that lacks God and an intelligent designer change the world conception of traditional faith? We shall wait and see. Because the conception of the universe, as a core cultural concept, will affect a series of original ideas, including those of faith, and subsequently affect people's ways of thinking and behaving. In the realm of public opinion, Hawking’s theoretical predictions are conducive to the growth of scientific rationality and to the voice of atheism. Hawking himself, through The Grand Design, is playing a role in the popularization of science, which is a major contribution of this book to influencing socio-cultural conceptions.

IV. Evaluation

Centering on the theme of understanding life, all things, and the existence of the universe, The Grand Design presents a new scene of the creation and evolution of the universe. In scientific language, it answers the "mystery of existence." In a unique way, it expresses his understanding of the meaning of God and clarifies theological confusion. Works that scientifically explore the origin of the universe like this are rare in today’s book market. Compared to the scarcity of works promoting atheism in recent years and the large volume of translations introducing theological treatises, it is precious indeed.

Whether in terms of intellectual content or methods of thinking, The Grand Design has given us new inspirations.

With a vast historical sweep, the work demonstrates the intellectual path of humanity’s tireless ^[7] inquiry into the essence and meaning of "existence." It explains that the progress of human civilization is predicated on the unremitting exploration of nature, which has gradually formed a scientific understanding of the genesis of the universe—a process that highlights the brilliance and power of scientific rationality. His natural conclusion regarding the meaning of the universe and our existence demonstrates that the creation and evolution of the universe do not require an appeal to God. Throughout the text, Hawking adheres to the principles of scientific determinism, which will prove beneficial for the public in establishing a scientific worldview ^[8] upon reading this work. One believes that The Grand Design will have a positive and active influence on the scientific attitude of the public and on global secular opinion, serving to cool the feverish ^[9] tendencies in certain academic circles that advocate for mystery and religious faith.

After reading The Grand Design, one cannot help but marvel at the meticulous logical rigor Stephen Hawking employs when expressing his preeminent scientific ideas, and the vividness of his figurative metaphors when explaining difficult and obscure cosmological knowledge. As one of the great contemporary thinkers, his profound ideological depth and exceptional talent in expression are displayed to the fullest in The Grand Design. This is a rare popular reader for the scientific worldview and the spirit of scientific rationality.

References:

1. Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow, trans. Wu Zhongchao, The Grand Design (Dà Shèjì), Hunan Science and Technology Press, Changsha, Jan. 2011, 1st edition, 1st printing.
2. Stephen Hawking, trans. Xu Mingxian and Wu Zhongchao, A Brief History of Time (Shíjiān Jiǎnshǐ), Hunan Science and Technology Press, Changsha, Feb. 2002, 1st edition, 2nd printing.
3. Jostein Gaarder (Norway), trans. Xiao Baosen, Sophie’s World (Sūfēi de Shìjiè), Writers Publishing House, Beijing, Jan. 1996, 1st edition, 1st printing.
4. Sun Qian, "Current Status and Reflections on the Study of the Relationship between Science and Religion," Science and Atheism (Kēxué yǔ Wúshénlùn), Beijing, 2007, Issue 2.
5. Zhao Yang, "The Influence and Enlightenment of the Historical Development of Astronomy on Basic Concepts," Science and Atheism (Kēxué yǔ Wúshénlùn), Beijing, 2010, Issue 1, pp. 31–36.
6. Wei Fengwen and Shen Xianjia, History of 20th Century Physics (20 Shìjì Wùlǐxué Shǐ), Jiangxi Education Press, Nanchang, Dec. 1994, 1st edition, 1st printing.
7. Zhang Kaixun, Looking Back at the Path of Human Invention (Huíwàng Rénlèi Fāmíng zhī Lù), Beijing Publishing House, Beijing, Aug. 2007, 1st edition, 1st printing.

Managing Editor: Wang Jiafei