Black Hole Thermodynamics: Established Results, Unresolved Paradoxes, and Speculative Resolutions

From 1972 to 1975, Bekenstein's proposal that black holes possess entropy proportional to their horizon area, together with Hawking's derivation of black hole radiation from semiclassical quantum field theory, established the foundations of black hole thermodynamics. Although conceptually transformative, these results depend on semiclassical assumptions whose validity in quantum gravitational regimes remains uncertain. This article critically examines this formative period and assesses contemporary approaches, including holographic frameworks and gravitational path-integral methods. We analyze persistent challenges --- among them the information paradox, trans-Planckian sensitivities, and backreaction effects --- and delineate the boundaries between well-established results and speculative extensions in the current theoretical landscape.