A Brief History of Time

by

Stephen Hawking

Lay People Character Analysis

Stephen Hawking often refers to the importance of helping the lay person understand great scientific theories, as all of humanity is absorbed with the same line of questioning: why and how are we here? He suggests that once all scientific laws are understood, they will sooner or later also be taught to and understood by everyone, and then we can have the real discussions about the meaning of life. Once that question is answered, he suggests, humanity will “know the mind of God.”

Lay People Quotes in A Brief History of Time

The A Brief History of Time quotes below are all either spoken by Lay People or refer to Lay People . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Search for a Unifying Theory of the Universe Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

The Greeks even had a third argument that the earth must be round, for why else does one first see the sails of a ship coming over the horizon, and only later see the hull?

Related Characters: Lay People , Aristotle
Page Number: 2
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

[…] if we do discover a complete theory […] Then we shall all […] be able to [discuss] why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason—for then we would know the mind of God.

Related Characters: God , Lay People
Page Number: 191
Explanation and Analysis:
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Lay People Quotes in A Brief History of Time

The A Brief History of Time quotes below are all either spoken by Lay People or refer to Lay People . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Search for a Unifying Theory of the Universe Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

The Greeks even had a third argument that the earth must be round, for why else does one first see the sails of a ship coming over the horizon, and only later see the hull?

Related Characters: Lay People , Aristotle
Page Number: 2
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

[…] if we do discover a complete theory […] Then we shall all […] be able to [discuss] why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason—for then we would know the mind of God.

Related Characters: God , Lay People
Page Number: 191
Explanation and Analysis: