On the origin of time: Stephen Hawking’s final theory
Science & Technology

Thu. September 19, 6:30PM

On the origin of time: Stephen Hawking’s final theory

Join us for a mind-blowing journey with cosmologist Thomas Hertog, as we explore the revolutionary theories he developed alongside Stephen Hawking. 

Perhaps the biggest question that Stephen Hawking tried to answer in his extraordinary career was how the universe could have created conditions so perfectly hospitable to life. Holed up in theoretical physics departments across the globe, Hawking and Hertog worked shoulder to shoulder for twenty years, to develop a fresh vision of the universe’s birth that could account for its mysterious biophylic design. Venturing far back in time, they were startled to find a deeper level of evolution, in which physical laws transform and simplify until particles, forces, and even time fade away. This led them to a revolutionary idea: The laws of physics are not eternal immutable truths set in stone but are born and co-evolved as the universe they govern took shape. 

On this evening at TheMerode, Hertog will recount their quest to get a grips on the ultimate big bang origin and the bold new take on some of the universe’s fundamentals his work with Hawking reveals.

The conference will be followed by a book signing of 'On The Origin of Time' by Thomas Hertog,  a sale organised by the UOPC bookshop.


speaker

Thomas Hertog

Thomas Hertog is a theoretical physicist and cosmologist who was for many years a close collaborator of Stephen Hawking. He received his doctorate from the University of Cambridge and is currently professor at the Institute for Theoretical Physics of the KU Leuven. Hertog’s research has had a profound impact on our understanding of the birth of the universe. He is also an acclaimed science communicator. Hertog has curated several exhibitions at the interface of science and the arts and he is the author of the New York Times Bestseller On the Origin of Time. a monograph in which he has advanced a fundamentally evolutionary conception of physics borne out by the theory of the universe’s birth he developed with Stephen Hawking.
Start
Thu. September 19, 6:30PM
End
Thu. September 19, 9:00PM
Format
TheMerode Talks
Language
English (US)
Guest allowed?
Yes, 1 per member

Address

Event
Place Poelaert, 6
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Parking
Parking Poelaert, Place Poelaert 1000 Brussels

Detailed programme

Welcome
Thu. September 19, 6:30PM
Talk and Q&A
Thu. September 19, 7:00PM
Networking
Thu. September 19, 8:00PM
End
Thu. September 19, 9:00PM