The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World

Front Cover
Penguin, Jul 21, 2011 - Science - 496 pages
The New York Times bestseller: A provocative, imaginative exploration of the nature and progress of knowledge

“Dazzling.” – Steven Pinker, The Guardian

In this groundbreaking book, award-winning physicist David Deutsch argues that explanations have a fundamental place in the universe—and that improving them is the basic regulating principle of all successful human endeavor. Taking us on a journey through every fundamental field of science, as well as the history of civilization, art, moral values, and the theory of political institutions, Deutsch tracks how we form new explanations and drop bad ones, explaining the conditions under which progress—which he argues is potentially boundless—can and cannot happen. Hugely ambitious and highly original, The Beginning of Infinity explores and establishes deep connections between the laws of nature, the human condition, knowledge, and the possibility for progress.

 

Selected pages

Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
The Reach of Explanations
Closer to Reality
The Spark
Creation
The Reality of Abstractions
The Jump to Universality
Optimism
A Dream of Socrates
The Multiverse
A Physicists History of Bad Philosophy
Choices
Why are Flowers Beautiful?
The Evolution of Culture
The Evolution of Creativity

Artificial Creativity
A Window on Infinity
Unsustainable
The Beginning

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The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations that Transform The World
David Deutsch
Limited preview - 2011
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David Deutsch
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The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations that Transform the World
David Deutsch
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Common terms and phrases

achieved adaptations already appearance argument atoms beauty become beginning behaviour believe better brains called cause century Chapter civilization consider contain continue created creativity criticism depends discovered Earth effect Enlightenment error evidence evolution evolved example exist expect experience explanation fact function future genes given happen Hence HERMES human ideas imagine improve individual infinite infinity instance knowledge known laws of physics live look mathematical matter means measure memes mind misconception moral multiverse nature never objects observation original parochial particular perhaps person philosophy population possible predictions preferences present principle problem progress quantum question reach reality reason regard replication represent requires result rule scientific sense society SOCRATES solve space species stars static story theory things thought true truth understand universe values whole

About the author (2011)

Born in Haifa, Israel, David Deutsch was educated at Cambridge and Oxford Universities. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a professor of physics at the University of Oxford, where he is a member of the Centre for Quantum Computation. His papers on quantum computation laid the foundations for that field, and he is an authority on the theory of parallel universes. His honors include the Institute of Physics' Paul Dirac Prize and Medal. The author of The Fabric of Reality, he lives in England.

Bibliographic information

QR code for The Beginning of Infinity
TitleThe Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World
AuthorDavid Deutsch
Editionunabridged
PublisherPenguin, 2011
ISBN1101549823, 9781101549827
Length496 pages
Subjects › 

History / World
Philosophy / Essays
Science / Philosophy & Social Aspects
  
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