The Beginning of Infinity

Physicist David Deutsch, a pioneer of quantum computation, makes one claim and follows it through every field he can reach: explanations are a fundamental feature of the universe. The effort to improve them drives science and every other successful human undertaking. Because only the laws of physics limit people, there is no ceiling on what they can eventually grasp and accomplish.

In Deutsch's account, the Enlightenment comes close to the beginning of a process that never ends: the making of new knowledge. That process depends on a culture that welcomes criticism and open debate. He also disputes the idea that access to resources explains why some societies advanced while others did not.

This is popular non-fiction built as a single extended argument, and it covers a wide range of subjects. Civilisation's history comes first, then how culture and memes evolve, then creativity and artificial intelligence. Along the way come the many-worlds reading of quantum physics and the mathematics of infinity. Moral and political philosophy and aesthetics are tested against the same standard of good explanation.

The book appeared in 2011 as a follow-up to The Fabric of Reality. Deutsch takes the earlier book's single picture linking evolution, quantum physics, knowledge and computation, and applies it to human choice, optimism and progress. His central claim is hopeful: problems are inevitable, yet each one can be solved given the right knowledge.