>> watch "in depth" sunday, live at noon eastern on booktv on c-span2. >> you're watching booktv on c-span2 with top nonfiction books and authors every weekend. booktv, television for series yourself readers. ...

thank you everyone else for joining us. i want to encourage you all to check out our lineup of upcoming virtual events. that is next friday the 18th. please remember to follow us on twitter and facebook and instagram. leonard received his phd in theoretical research.

he was a fellow at the max planck institute and was on the faculty of california institute of technology. the grant design and a briefer history for time. with the winner of the literary science writing award. and more of the world view. as well as elastic window. one of the most influential citizens of our time. "stephen hawking" reminded them of the millions. it brings this complex man into focus with a unique and deeply personal per trail. he puts us in the room as he indulges his passion for wine and curry.

in grapples with the deep questions up of philosophy in 56. it was deeply affecting account. they teach us not just about the nature and practice of physics but also about life in the human capacity to overcome daunting obstacles. paulson has been at voice actor. and he is the voice of pinky from pinky and the brain. and karl with there. he has won an emmy award and a peabody award for his voice acting. his voice was released last year. ironically a man who uses his voice for work found himself with throat cancer but has thankfully recovered and is now the spokesperson for the oral had and neck cancer awareness program.

it will enqueue include a q&a. if you you'd like to ask a question please outvote the particular question by clicking the thumbs up button. please consider supporting leonard. it is such a pleasure to welcome you both. thank you for welcoming us both. >> as an armchair physicist who makes his living doing what got me in trouble in high school. , this is a marvelous book and said thank you. for lowering your standards.

and full disclosure. the genius child. helps me with my own social media marketing. the apple did not fall far from the tree. this is a bright young man and very i'm very thankful to head him in my life. they are watching and transfixed with all of the stuff surrounding us. can you show us what he plays in the history of physics. we went to school in the 60s and went to oxford first. that's where he fell into the

undergraduate. he have a revelation after that. it was kind of hoopla. we find of the purpose in life. he decided that he wanted to dedicate the last year. and it was basically why are we here, how did the universe get here and why is it the way it is. it's not what they're asking in the 1960s. he may have been asking that. in berkeley. that's very obvious.

not many people are interested in those areas back then either. they felt like they could never observe them. and people thought you can't go can go back to the beginning of the universe. it turned out as a footnote. he was so frustrated with the quality of the research.

and they made great progress. through the general theory of relativity. i think it is just the theory of property. they make some very exciting advances doing that. but that result. with the study of the early universe. and he took it from a backwater nothing's deal and deal and made it one of the hottest deals physics. it was what is the holy grail

of physics. by doing that he was a pioneer and made great steps. he lifted the study of a black holes in the cosmetology. -- cosmology. >> back to her right. they have an oscar. the physicists you have a feeling he was just kind of

going through with that smile. without the first 15. they came up with the energy the squared. the -- theory at 25.

that was a consequence. this is what people misunderstand you don't get a brilliant idea that he is equaled to mc squared that makes sense. he develops the theory. and that was based on certain principles and the speed of light. and then building a theory it was a very special relativity. as he's writing out that theory. we are the same age and the opening of the twilight zone.

equals mc squared. it became that. people don't know this but i was entertainment at the last supper. jesus, what a party. we had figured out the facetime continuum. how did do they first meet stephen. and how it is used in physics. that is an important topic for stephen. and then he read my second book. with the high relationship

while i was in cal tech in my 20s. he was looking for someone to write with. and someone who's writing he liked. one day i just got a call from my agent. that is a bizarre question. but would you like to write a book about that. can i say again folks, i make my living in the funny business. they have a wicked sense of humor also.

what surprised you witnessing firsthand how it stephen worked. was there anything that made you go wow, this is pretty remarkable. in addition to the fact that he was doing what he was doing his physical state. it's really fascinating i hope i don't get too long with this discussion and answer. most of physics can be looked at in two different ways. one is, algebraic equations. and the other one. you have to understand both really.

using equations. stephen can't do that. it was an amazing memory. just like a grand master. i was always in all of that. i can't can tell you one good game. he did have that ability. and put him at a disadvantage. according to other physicists. he learned a new way of doing things. he did this in the geometric approach. he worked on his own language of geometry.

with all of those things. they were analyzing how they look. using pictures. in the relationships in his head. that was stephen's superpower. by doing that, not only was he avoiding his handicap. he actually have a new angle. it allowed them to make discoveries. they manage to take the disability and turn it into an advantage. in your book you cite how you care hear people that are site lists.

that they are enhancing their sense of hearing. do you feel ultimately or maybe see have been may have suggested this. with the debilitating illness. it ended up being something that helped him in his discipline. he told me that it did. first as it mentioned. i gave meaning and purpose. it is a very hard subject you have to put in very long hours all alone. it's burning. california's burning right now. on a normal time. for months every day.

just to finish her work. it gave the drive to answer these questions. the different and the meaning and the focus and eliminating distractions and allowing him to focus so long. it was a big advantage to him. even apart from the geometric thinking. they haven't head that disability. the gentleman help me. you have your own things that

you're working on. there's points at which you say i'm stuck. >> that's why i wrote the book. not just for physics but for the personal life. the road to the book to really expose how we do it physics. and how he lives his life every day. and yes, they don't just like in the movies that you mentioned. they look into the fireplace and the answer comes. it's very difficult.

it was still teaching the courses. to fill him and take up his time. he happens both and other the problem in between problems. i just wrote a paper or maybe ten papers. i have a lot of ideas. something you head in the back of your head that you are curious about that you just move on. like the one that doesn't know what book to write back. and while you're doing your problem you might also have minor crisis like that. i need to get from here to there. to answer the question in this research. and you go i think you are not

like this. then you discrete keep bumping your have against the walls. in some promising direction and it doesn't work. and then you finally get to the point where you got to the certain point in your research. you know what you want to show in human idea of where you want to go with it. it's full of very frustrating times. when he hit that wall. he would've turned that up. just focusing on getting past that. part of the mission to humanize and make him

relatable. there was were certainly things that no one would know. that they would d hollywood. someone that you became your friend often. with the usual frustrations that people have with other people. was there a point at which the work with stephen. they have a different shirt on today. it really was not an issue. you got used to it. that is a good question rob.

>> i felt bad for him. i could see the discomfort that he was in. the bead of sweat. that was one of the central moments of the book. it is a central moment we can all relate to. the way in which you describe your empathy that would drive me nuts. i don't know if you are mohammed ali, stephen hawking or a guy on the street the things we all take for granted that all the sudden was a central focus of this

world-class physicist. i cannot understand how we can go through these days. maybe it was noted maybe it was not. i feel like we felt sorry for them a lot. he actually was quite inspiring for me. he can't term in weight. with that condition.

he took control of the minds and the feelings. it is the happiness. in the lasting happiness comes only from there. and in your own mind. and stephen really did that. and once i realized that's what was going on. he was a person with a handicap.

they do have that side of humanity. with their respects evenly. i really understand that this is a pretty fragile line. i know what's important. it was the embodiment of that. he literally made lemonade every damn day.

and made them think so. and because he could do that. and not be beaten down by what would be the physical issues he was an optimistic person. hit a great sense of humor and a great energy. when we were going to go potty around town. there is some tourist stuff. can you describe what punting on the can mean. it's like a recipe for tipping over. then the hop on the plat arm. fishing the pole into the bottom of the river will tell you. when we went to do that he

said that he wanted to join us. the wheelchair has to be bolted down. with the stone steps to the boat. just get there. he gets detached from his machine. from his communicator. and then going down with that movement. and then they start to climb in.

they must be scaring them. they go with all they need to look at. all of the difficulties. and he loved it. he did every day things like that. he did not let his disability stop him. they want to have strawberries and champagne and so you help them to have a little bit of zippy do that. that's okay. at the end they could just carry me up. i feel like a hundred million

dollars. i think i am. recently i was sitting outside. >> not bad. a non- secretarial thing. i could. it is a great big universe. i don't have exactly that is the road you want to go down. i don't blame you. your book obviously is full of just glorious stories about you being with us even in as you just described.

there was so many stories. we have a near death experience. i have internal bleeding in my intestines. i want to get back to cream bridge. he and i were having dinner after dinner when i was there talking. talking about all of his near death experiences. at least one a year.

one of the problems is the deep breathing eventually. i think that may have exacerbated it. every year or so he would end up in the hospital with a lung infection. i know that he said he is can going go to the end of one of those. basketball is life. physics is life is in it.

i thought that was really fitting. in his essence he is not a visit to he is a person that loves other people. when i was reading your book. that's how much it really impacted me. it was really profound. there are many instances like that in the book where we kind of stopped and reread it and in the context of who leonard is talking about it really is impactful. in that light, was us even an atheist.

he was an atheist. he was very sensitive and did not want to insult anybody. or argue against god. as an argument against god. what we say netbook is that god is not necessary to create the universe. some supernatural thing that started out the universe. in stephen's theory. that the universe could start for nothing. we did not say there's no doubt. were not arguing against god we are pretending that we saw evidence. there is a lot of books that illustrate that.

both of his wives and his girlfriend at the end were all religious people. they would go to church. he was not trying to take religion. in fact, you cite in the book that you just touched on briefly about the kind of heat you took i believe you have a frozen call. from his secretary who said zero my god you have to help us.

you despaired god and you kind of have to do a little bit of housekeeping. the book was coming out that day. in the assistant calls me. how many people. there are three of them. i don't even love the times. why would you think that. they can't handle it. ninety-second interviews.

i take the shorter of the two names. they did not create the universe. it doesn't matter what they said. a lot of the people who are very upset. i don't think they were ready either. from all different quarters in different countries but on the other hand they got people to know about the book. it was very productive provocative. it was a very compelling and interesting book. that was actually a very stressful time.

can you drive out to burbank on cnn. i was on fox news once. some of them are polite and attacking you. and i was saying this is a physics book. what could be so upsetting in a physics book. i wake up in the morning to see how i could piss off god. we are talking about the book. you expanded your readership.

at least they heard about the book. it was based on the misconstrue all. what did they teach about yourself. it gave me perspective. look what they have to go to. this is more like the one. don't get upset about it. this is a nine. i can still walk away from it.

it has rubbed off the ability. perspective if is one thing. i think it is too. it was only relatable and really a total joy in there are aspects that we can all apply for themselves. it is is already 20 minutes to 6:00 in the pacific. can we do that now.

from an anonymous attendee. one of my favorite people. were you ever intimidated by mister hocking. after you initially settle down. when i first met him. not since the first time of course. you walk in. he's an icon and so brilliant. and i'm not. we will be the judge of that.

we did not suffer fools. were you concerned when you started working with him that you you're gonna say something. oh goodness don't screw this up. same not that i have that worry before i ask anything. sometimes after i ask something. we were looking at the curve. it's pretty complicated. and reading his papers.

we would work together there. and then we would split up. and then were at the end of our working together in cambridge. he would assign each other things to write in this section. we would e-mail them to each other. before we next meet. almost always in cambridge. i could see him thereto. we went back and forth with each other. i just don't get what the research is. i go back to write it all up. i go back to cambridge the

next time to see them. it's this way. i'm sure i understood it. i don't know what to say. i'm looking at my old notes. look look. that's what we used to think. it was a work in progress. i know you are working on explaining this.

what i love about the relationship. you are unafraid to discuss in the book as my time was in the layperson. if you're going to do this let's do it. i'm paraphrasing. but you are writing together on you essentially dropped the ball and called him on it. it's pretty balls a. i was pretty frustrated. i was pretty frustrated at that point. even little things where there were many frustrations. and just how people would walk into his office and he would be in the middle of something. this will just take a minute.

i would imagine. do you mind. they would just ignore that. i don't know how he got anything done. you know what he would do. when they did not want to be interrupted. whatever i would say. he would not answer. he would just ignore them. then he would say that should be pointed at me.

i would say something and he would answer me. is just floating in the air. i believe that it was a chemistry student. i'm not sure sheila. did you ever collaborate on and any physics problems together. when you wanted to learn about certain areas of physics. there was one, i was interested in why we remember i'll give you a little preamble. the equations are reversible. on the current state of the system.

on how it's moving. and then the laws of physics tell you how that develops. there is no difference. you can see it and tell the difference. things like smoke. it dissipates. has some is walking backwards. it's not inherently backward in time. they will never see the nature. that is assist to single thing. as the explanation for that. that's what the arrow of time.

even though the laws are reversible. if the state did something in. a very ordered state. you have a bunch of dominoes and they are each standing on the table just right. someone moves the table and they might fall. there are a million ways they can fall. there's only one way they could stand up just right. you can jiggle the table. in the movement to any of the other configurations. i was wondering psychologically how does that work. given that the laws are reversible. why do we remember the test. but we don't remember the future.

and somehow we would think that that might be connected. how does that work. wait a couple of interactions around physics questions. and he said. ira paper i wrote a paper on that in 1985. in the typical stephen fashion. he was confusing having said something and having proven that. i go back to look at that. he doesn't give any really give any details or show how it works. in back to you. a friend of mine that do a lot of physics with. i publish a paper explaining that. why do you remember the past and not the future. that was a time i did not work

on it directly with him. remember the future. it sounds like a lead zeppelin album cover. here is an interesting question. the we changed our mind is really white physics feels so out of reach for so many. what is an evolving theory. in the scientific research and translate it into something for interested nonexperts. see mac i think there is a lot of physics that is pretty subtle you don't always had to be reading about what people are working on on the time.

i would say that most science books are about relative theory. and the evolution of the universe. it's like a different genre. to explain those to the general audience. it's not really that much different. then something that is settled as long as that state that you're learning about isn't changing while your writing. when that happens as in this case. it does get difficult and you have to do your best to keep up with how it's changing. which most books don't do. we do it at the end of the book.

how this might be confirmed and verified and what part of it is the latest theory. i must say. that was one of the things that was helpful as a layperson as apart from being readable and human, you have very appropriate in nicely placed foot notes that explain just what you read in a way that was very understandable . you guys asking questions are you sure you didn't keep this up in advance. these guys are perfect. they come up with a lovely follow-up question. as well as a human story. i rest my case. i spent my working career and

you indicated that not everything you wrote was completely verified. there been any major changes in 2010. with that be the grand design from 2010. there had been some people that have been carrying it out further. the difficulty with finding support for that theory we need better technology. i think the idea is that were setting the very minute details of that. and the supporting evidence. it just hasn't gotten there yet. another 20 years. sometimes i think you have to wait a long time.

people thought they were never going to see one. and then there was a candidate that they were studying that they really didn't get to do that with. the early '90s. it have an image of a black hole just a few years ago. sometimes it just takes a long time. if i'm not mistaken i don't know exactly the specifics but einstein's theory of general relativity was proven only a few years ago. since we are using and talking about the specific context i will say the first evidence for that in the first observation that confirmed a prediction was just about four years after the theory was completed. in 1990 observation. that showed that it was

confirmed the extension. there are those who question the statistics on those observations. that's what happened then. there had been other test. in the gps system that everybody uses. it's very interesting. you think of a theory that applies generally to the theory that you need to use. you need to use general theories. a very consecrated mass. it affects our lives. you actually need the systems that would be wildly inaccurate. with the gps systems that go all about the maps.

when you type in those people at starbucks. if you're driving the fact that you get there. as back that way. that's the sort of stuff that i love about what you guys and girls do. in your discipline. my grandfather was a physicist and electrical engineer. i remember in this very house standing with my first generation ipad watching as they landed. if my genius grandfather came back and saw me standing there with the despise the spigot that this big that didn't heat up with no cords and no plug and i said i'm watching the surface of mars.

this is a learned man that is seen witchcraft. i love being aware of this. i'm holding this device in my hand. i can find a starbucks in mongolia. i love that you pointed that out. i know you're almost done. thank you very much for this opportunity. it's something you wrote in the book that i love so much. i presume based on other writings. you said isaac newton wasn't asked. how do we know that. see mac. >> we know a lot about him. a lot of people have written in that area. he was actually a quarter and he could've been one of these reality shows. he kept grocery lists.

there are boxes of his work and his writing. we know a lot about newton. >> that was one of the things that made me laugh out loud. i love that. equal and opposite reaction. i know that we are pretty much done. >> here we go. these are the countries that had come up since that first song was written. [music] goodbye.

thank you so much. you thank you all for joining us tonight sure to pick up a copy and we hope to see you again very soon. here is a look at the prime time lineup. maria bartiromo offers her thoughts on how to restart the american economy. james lange argued that the reason they are distracted is due more to current teaching styles. they explore the reasons for burnout and how it mostly impacts millenials. the wall street journal discusses how the conservative movement has evolved since the reagan era. in the former fbi special agent talks about his recently declassified book