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David Deutsch: Knowledge Creation and The Human Race, Part 2

Naval

Fri Aug 11 2023



Misconception of a final theory:

  • Counterintuitive belief that there is a final theory that will encompass all truths.
  • Commonly held misconception in academia and intellectual circles.
  • Idea that once this final theory is discovered, no further work or progress is needed.

Critique of the misconception:

  • This vision of knowledge construction and purpose in science is completely misconceived.
  • It's not just slightly wrong, but infinitely wrong.
  • There won't be a time when we can sit back and do nothing while AI takes care of everything.

Popper's philosophy as an alternative perspective:

  • Popper's idea that it all begins with problems and there is no royal road to solving them.
  • Fallibilism, anti-authoritarianism, conjecture, criticism as key concepts derived from Popper's philosophy.
  • Many people only grasp part of Popper's philosophy without fully understanding its depth.

Creativity and progress:

  • Being creative and successful in a particular area makes one inherently Popperian in that field.
  • Progress can only be made by finding problems, proposing solutions, and criticizing those solutions.

Example of Matt Ridley:

  • Ridley's books on technology innovation emphasize trial and error, variation and selection as the same method used in science (conjecture and criticism).
  • Everything is creatively making guesses rather than copying or passively absorbing information from the environment.

Importance of explanation in science:

  • Science aims for explanations as its purpose.
  • Good explanations are heuristically valuable but also central to discovering new things.

Newton's theory of gravitation and Cavendish experiment:

  • Newton's theory explained gravity as an instantaneous force acting on bodies.
  • Cavendish's experiment measured the gravitational constant, refining Newton's theory without challenging it.
  • Cavendish's measurement was not an experiment but rather a measurement supporting Newton's theory.

Experiment vs. demonstration:

  • Experiments choose between rival explanations or theories.
  • Demonstrations show observable results without comparing different explanations.

Simplicity and complexity in science:

  • The concept of simplicity depends on the underlying theory of physics.
  • Complexity or simplicity can change if our understanding of bits (or any other fundamental unit) changes.

Theory refutes itself:

  • Good explanations often contain self-refutations or contradictions within them.
  • Taking theories seriously means recognizing their flaws and limitations instead of treating them as infallible statements.

Importance of taking theories seriously:

  • Understanding theories beyond surface-level comprehension.
  • Exploring questions rather than dismissing them as meaningless.

Progress and limits of knowledge:

  • There might be a limit to what we can understand, but we cannot know for sure.
  • Invoking limits as an argument about what we can or should do is akin to believing in the supernatural.

Against foundationalism while studying foundations:

  • Foundations explain why higher-level theories are structured the way they are.
  • Foundations alone cannot build practical applications; engineering requires additional knowledge beyond basic principles.

Enlightenment in England and its influence on progress:

  • English Enlightenment emphasized problem-solving rather than utopian solutions.
  • Privileges were extended to more classes of people, gradually improving society.
  • Contrast with French and German reforms that focused on abolishing existing systems.

Tension between Popper and Kuhn:

  • Kuhn's idea of scientific revolutions overthrowing previous paradigms is not entirely accurate.
  • New theories often build upon or solve problems within the existing paradigm.
  • The generational story of old vs. young does not explain theory change in science.

Importance of debate and rival theories:

  • Debate and opposing theories are essential for progress and understanding.
  • Eliminating misinformation a priori goes against the principles of knowledge creation.

Knowledge replication in multiverses:

  • Useful knowledge replicates across multiverses, while non-useful information differs.
  • However, there is no limit to the size of error we can make, making it difficult to determine truth solely based on replication.