The God Equation: The Quest for a Theory of Everything
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- Create Date：2022-04-20 03:19:44
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Michio Kaku
- ISBN：0525434569
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Summary
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The epic story of the greatest quest in all of science--the holy grail of physics that would explain the creation of the universe--from renowned theoretical physicist and author of The Future of the Mind and The Future of Humanity
When Newton discovered the law of gravity， he unified the rules governing the heavens and the Earth。 Since then， physicists have been placing new forces into ever-grander theories。
But perhaps the ultimate challenge is achieving a monumental synthesis of the two remaining theories--relativity and the quantum theory。 This would be the crowning achievement of science， a profound merging of all the forces of nature into one beautiful， magnificent equation to unlock the deepest mysteries in science: What happened before the Big Bang？ What lies on the other side of a black hole？ Are there other universes and dimensions？ Is time travel possible？ Why are we here？
Kaku also explains the intense controversy swirling around this theory， with Nobel laureates taking opposite sides on this vital question。 It is a captivating， gripping story; what's at stake is nothing less than our conception of the universe。
Written with Kaku's trademark enthusiasm and clarity， this epic and engaging journey is the story of The God Equation。
When Newton discovered the law of gravity， he unified the rules governing the heavens and the Earth。 Since then， physicists have been placing new forces into ever-grander theories。
But perhaps the ultimate challenge is achieving a monumental synthesis of the two remaining theories--relativity and the quantum theory。 This would be the crowning achievement of science， a profound merging of all the forces of nature into one beautiful， magnificent equation to unlock the deepest mysteries in science: What happened before the Big Bang？ What lies on the other side of a black hole？ Are there other universes and dimensions？ Is time travel possible？ Why are we here？
Kaku also explains the intense controversy swirling around this theory， with Nobel laureates taking opposite sides on this vital question。 It is a captivating， gripping story; what's at stake is nothing less than our conception of the universe。
Written with Kaku's trademark enthusiasm and clarity， this epic and engaging journey is the story of The God Equation。
Reviews
Steve
，
Clearly， I'm no physicist， though I did take physics （instead of chemistry） in HS。。。 more than half a century ago。Kaku's book does kinda make sense to me， at least a little bit。 But it really is over my head。Near the last few pages， he writes:So why is there something rather than nothing？ Because our universe originally came from quantum fluctuations in Nothing。Much of the meaningfulness of Kaku's book （IMO） lies in or comes from the philosophical questions he sets the stage for and ultimately p Clearly， I'm no physicist， though I did take physics （instead of chemistry） in HS。。。 more than half a century ago。Kaku's book does kinda make sense to me， at least a little bit。 But it really is over my head。Near the last few pages， he writes:So why is there something rather than nothing？ Because our universe originally came from quantum fluctuations in Nothing。Much of the meaningfulness of Kaku's book （IMO） lies in or comes from the philosophical questions he sets the stage for and ultimately poses。 Like， Will this theory of everything give us the meaning of life？。。。 "However， I do believe the theory of everything might have something to say about the meaning of the universe，" Kaku writes。Thankfully， Michio Kaku is not like the Sheldon Cooper character on the Big Bang Theory television show。 However like the TV show and other literary artistic expressions， Kaku uses numerous illustrations to make abstract concepts more understandable for people like me。It's also important to realize this book is about the QUEST for a theory of everything which has not yet been discovered or figured out。 Maybe one of your descendants or mine will be instrumental in finding such a beautiful， elegant， symmetry that can more fully enlighten us。 。。。more
Adhella Subalie
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Michio Kaku is a good storyteller， and from the pleasure of reading a couple of his previous books， I can safely say that this book is a really smooth one and would be a great introduction for the general public on what the ultimate quest in physics right now。The choosing of the word 'God' really threw me off though。 Although the naming is not picked out of sheer marketing benefits （*cough* god particle *cough*） as it was explained in the later chapter， I think it really feeds into the narrative Michio Kaku is a good storyteller， and from the pleasure of reading a couple of his previous books， I can safely say that this book is a really smooth one and would be a great introduction for the general public on what the ultimate quest in physics right now。The choosing of the word 'God' really threw me off though。 Although the naming is not picked out of sheer marketing benefits （*cough* god particle *cough*） as it was explained in the later chapter， I think it really feeds into the narrative of this universe having a God （albeit the God here is an equation that governs the laws of physics）。 As a self-proclaimed agnostic himself， I think Kaku uses the term 'God' more as a marketing tool。 Different universes with different physics each would have a different 'God equation'， so naming The Theory of Everything with a clickbaity name like this would lead to different and possibly inaccurate implications。Another thing about this book is that when talking about The String Theory， he did review it objectively。 He criticizes his own theory， also adding a few comments taken from other scientists to back up some points。 But it still isn't enough because he didn't really compare it to other available leading theories （which he mentioned briefly， saying that ultimately only the string theory stands still） His commentary on the last chapters was also really welcomed， insightful and entertaining。 But this exact paragraph did bother me: The point here is that perhaps we do not need an experimental proof of string theory at all。 A theory of everything is also a theory of ordinary things。 If we can derive the mass of the quarks and other known subatomic particles from first principles， that might be convincing evidence that this is the final theory。 He didn't state it like it was an absolute truth， but I think it is a bit irresponsible to say that maybe it is okay to pass the mere ability of a theory to derive currently proven theories as evidence for the validity of the string theory。 In the prior chapter after he glorified symmetry as the ultimate feature of a successful theory， he did mention that it can't be the only thing to strive for when formulating a theory。 Symmetry is a great indicator of a great theory but as long as it is unproven， the only great quality of it is just that。 But again I really enjoyed his own personal perspective on this topic， so it's a great addition to the book。 I just wished he would discuss other alternative theories more thoroughly。I really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a light reading on these kinds of topics with charming commentaries and appealing storytelling。 It is easy to read because the author talked about the highly complicated subject in a high-level way and each chapter is not very long with a lot of subchapters。 I enjoyed my time with this book although not without some critics :D 。。。more
Ryan
，
I was thoroughly enjoying this five star book， but when it got around to Einstein’s theory of relativity I had to shelf it。 I can never wrap my head around why what we *see* and *perceive* personally has anything to do with the laws of nature。 Just can’t wrap my head around that at all， so I’ll sadly not understand the theory of relativity from the get go， which is central to the “god equation” that I’ll not be able to read about。 That first chapter was a lot of fun though。
Cassie H-W
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Interesting intro into physics but not for me。
Kennice
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A light and engaging introduction to the history of physics。
Chris Warden
，
Meh
Gracia Watson
，
It got a little preachy in some parts， but overall was very good。
Marjan
，
- Engaging and fascinating- A history of attempts to unify the theories in physics。 - Explained with good depth without being too confusing- Definitely will read more of his books。
Mike Harnish
，
I really enjoy reading/listening to Dr。 Kaku。 His books are always informative， written in language that us non-scientist can understand， with a touch of humor that makes you want to read more。 He continues to use current movies like Star Wars and Star Trek to give the layman of today an idea of what he is writing about。 It is this style of writing that makes his books so easy to comprehend。
Iva Jar
，
Mám takovou představu， že čím víc knih o kvantové fyzice tak nějak zavnímám， tím víc toho z ní pochopím。 Asi to neplatí， ale nevzdávám to。 A Michio Kaku umí fyziku podat dostatečně zábavně na to， aby mě to bavilo， i když to tak docela nikdy nepochopím。Pro mě nový termín - bílá díra。 Asi tak to jsem si z této knihy odnesla :）Ale opravdu mě to bavilo。
Juan Manuel Cafferata
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Es puro entretenimiento。 Muy sensacionalista。 Ciensacionalista。 Lenguaje muy simple usando conceptos hiper complicados。 Se lee muy fluido， no se queda mucho tiempo xplicando cosas imposibles de xplicar。 La parte filosofica es bastante light， como para una iniciación。 La verdad que una buena pieza de ciencia popular。 No esperes aprender sino entretenerte y asombrarte。
Ju-Young Kim
，
Pretty good
Maxwell
，
An engaging journey through the history of string theory and the foundational theories that preceded it。 My one wish for pop-sci/math authors is for them to include the equations they're referencing on the page！ An engaging journey through the history of string theory and the foundational theories that preceded it。 My one wish for pop-sci/math authors is for them to include the equations they're referencing on the page！ 。。。more
Arpit Gupta
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Oodly calming。
Maya
，
This book was simply delightful！ Michio Kaku explores the history of physics and the quest for the "Theory of Everything"。 His prose is the perfect balance of beautiful and concise。 He explains complicated scientific terms so clearly yet doesn't dumb them down。 His deep respect for physicists is extremely admirable and made this book all the more enjoyable！ It's a book that doesn't take itself too seriously--remarkable for a physics book。 There were funny quotations from various scientists and e This book was simply delightful！ Michio Kaku explores the history of physics and the quest for the "Theory of Everything"。 His prose is the perfect balance of beautiful and concise。 He explains complicated scientific terms so clearly yet doesn't dumb them down。 His deep respect for physicists is extremely admirable and made this book all the more enjoyable！ It's a book that doesn't take itself too seriously--remarkable for a physics book。 There were funny quotations from various scientists and engaging allegories。 The final two chapters were extremely thoughtful and leaves the reader pondering questions surrounding the universe and God。 I enjoyed how， unlike some physicists， he never denies the existence of God （or any higher power） and dedicates an entire chapter to discussing how theologians view discoveries of physics。 Overall， a fantastic read and I'd recommend it to anyone。 。。。more
Corey Thibodeaux
，
Why do I do this to myself？ I have the mind of a creative， not a scientist。 I live in the abstract and the fanciful - imagination is my only limit。 So， hey， why not just randomly read a book about quantum physics？ What have I to gain？ Am I more enlightened having read this？ I can't say yes with confidence because this review is gonna be trash。Much like when I read that book on infinity （Beyond Infinity）， I was so out of my depth here。 This book traced the studies of physicists such as Newton， Ei Why do I do this to myself？ I have the mind of a creative， not a scientist。 I live in the abstract and the fanciful - imagination is my only limit。 So， hey， why not just randomly read a book about quantum physics？ What have I to gain？ Am I more enlightened having read this？ I can't say yes with confidence because this review is gonna be trash。Much like when I read that book on infinity （Beyond Infinity）， I was so out of my depth here。 This book traced the studies of physicists such as Newton， Einstein， Oppenheimer， Hawking， etc。 Apparently you can discover the meaning of life with an equation - that was revelatory on its own - and these dudes have all helped pave the way。 String theory sounds super neato。 This book will tell you more about it if you are interested。Good for scientists。 Good for you lot。 You scratch and claw for concrete answers to our universe few ever asked。 I am content with what is observable and mentally accessible。 You push for something more。 Are we here because of a white hole or a black hole？ I'm cool either way。 But to physicists， it's THE answer。 Keep up the good work。 We， uh， need you。 。。。more
Salam Tims
，
Michio Kaku is a brilliant theoretical physicist with an extraordinary ability to make the deepest and grandest ideas about physical reality （like string theory） in lucid lyrical prose that even the innumerate （but literate） masses can understand and enjoy。 This is a book to be read， pondered， then read again。
Audrey118899gmail。Com
，
waitwaitwait。 hold up。 did this man just quote stephen hawking’s conclusion to use as his own conclusion？？
James
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Another enjoyable read from Dr。 Michio Kaku。 I enjoyed physics of the impossible slightly more then this but do agree that in time， a theory of everything could evolve。 However， the physics I struggle the most with is the open space of space and what particle if any fills the void。 Yes it's space and the further away you get from objects the less particles there are。 The other concept I hope gets explored more at some point is how to make smaller particles with greater amounts of energy。 Is this Another enjoyable read from Dr。 Michio Kaku。 I enjoyed physics of the impossible slightly more then this but do agree that in time， a theory of everything could evolve。 However， the physics I struggle the most with is the open space of space and what particle if any fills the void。 Yes it's space and the further away you get from objects the less particles there are。 The other concept I hope gets explored more at some point is how to make smaller particles with greater amounts of energy。 Is this possible， or not to make a neutrino？ Yes， that's a miscellaneous rambling， but as more gets explored on a common theory， maybe the explanation of this will be uncovered。 。。。more
Jeff Beegle
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I don’t think this book knows what it wants to be。 It starts with a high-level history of physics and how we got to where we are。 I wished it went deeper than high school （middle school？） level but that’s ok。 Then almost two-thirds of the way into the book， string theory is quickly introduced and the reader is then thrown into a weird philosophical-religious conclusion section。 I’m curious if this book was supposed to be twice as long and was cut by the publisher。
Juan Álvarez
，
This is probably the worst book on physics I have ever read。 The bottom line is that Kaku rewrites the history of physics， exposes his deep misconceptions about the foundations of established physical theories， presents a distorted and unfair view of string theory， and reveals a lack of familiarity with hot topics in physics research。 Kaku's latest book is the usual combination of string theory hype and technical errors that has characterized his work。String theory is not physics。 It is not math This is probably the worst book on physics I have ever read。 The bottom line is that Kaku rewrites the history of physics， exposes his deep misconceptions about the foundations of established physical theories， presents a distorted and unfair view of string theory， and reveals a lack of familiarity with hot topics in physics research。 Kaku's latest book is the usual combination of string theory hype and technical errors that has characterized his work。String theory is not physics。 It is not math either。 It is something close to a neoreligion， with its dogmas， its Pope and its cardinals。 You can believe in it or not， but you cannot say that it is physics。The God Equation contains many technical errors about established branches of physics including Newtonian gravity， classical electrodynamics， special and general relativity， thermodynamics， quantum mechanics， and quantum field theory。 Kaku also makes invalid claims on topics in chemistry and biology。String theory has been disproved in laboratories since it was born as a candidate theory for hadrons and the strong interaction in 4 dimensions。 The theory failed and it was replaced by quantum chromodynamics。 Kaku rewrites the history of string theory and avoids commenting on this， just as he avoids commenting on that other version of string theory which had 26 dimensions。 The irony is that the most modern version of string theory is no longer about strings， but about branes， but the term "string theory" is still used in public material for marketing reasons。 。。。more
Taylor Ahlstrom
，
This book was a wonderful primer to the history of physics from Newton up to and including String Theory， showing how each subsequent theory and discovery built upon the last over the past several centuries。 The writing is incredibly accessible and will help anyone understand exactly how we got to where we are today and what challenges we face moving forward。 Unfortunately， as someone who has read a good number of other physics books for the layman， I had already been introduced to a lot of the This book was a wonderful primer to the history of physics from Newton up to and including String Theory， showing how each subsequent theory and discovery built upon the last over the past several centuries。 The writing is incredibly accessible and will help anyone understand exactly how we got to where we are today and what challenges we face moving forward。 Unfortunately， as someone who has read a good number of other physics books for the layman， I had already been introduced to a lot of the history and concepts he covers。 I was hoping there would be a LOT more on string theory and m-theory （two things I am still trying to wrap my layman brain around）。 Instead， they were relegated to the last few chapters。 But for someone who hasn't already dipped their toes into the bending of space time， quarks， squarks， and Higgs-Bosons， this is a great place to start。 There is also frequent discussion of why certain types of equations and solutions don't work， which is a unique perspective compared to other intro physics books I've read。 Overall， I enjoyed the read， and if I have one takeaway from this book， it's that the multiverse theory suddenly seems a lot more compelling！ 。。。more
Michael
，
Mr。 Kaku provides a concise and informative sketch of the path theoretical physicists have taken toward developing an all encompassing theory that explains the very big and the very small。 Taking us through Newton's discovery of the mathematical properties of gravity to Einstein's brilliant theory of general relativity to the various iterations of the development of quantum theories， Mr。 Kaku clearly explains all of the underlying theory in a manner understandable （with some difficulty for this Mr。 Kaku provides a concise and informative sketch of the path theoretical physicists have taken toward developing an all encompassing theory that explains the very big and the very small。 Taking us through Newton's discovery of the mathematical properties of gravity to Einstein's brilliant theory of general relativity to the various iterations of the development of quantum theories， Mr。 Kaku clearly explains all of the underlying theory in a manner understandable （with some difficulty for this reader） to the non-physicist。 I enjoyed reading about string theory and M theory as a possible paths toward discovering the theory of everything。Overall， this is an accessible overview of the state of the quest for a theory of everything - mission accomplished。 。。。more
Peter Fagerström
，
This is a great history of science。 Highly recommended！
Victory
，
4 out of 5。 This is also how far I got into the book before I got lost。 Thankfully I got back on track by the end。
Lukas
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Really thought provoking， would definitely recommend。
Brandon
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Science doesn't destroy God， religion， or anyone's beliefs。 Corrupt Power-lust does that。 Learn about the facts as we know it ， we just msy unlick a great many things。 Science doesn't destroy God， religion， or anyone's beliefs。 Corrupt Power-lust does that。 Learn about the facts as we know it ， we just msy unlick a great many things。 。。。more
Camille
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Excellent take of the frontier of physics， a great read。
Saad Sultan
，
Very informative interesting book。 Author used simple word to explain world most complex phenomenon and theories。 This book is for laymen people。
Cindy
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