The Science of Can and Can't

A Physicist’s Journey Through the Land of Counterfactuals

Book • 2024

This book introduces the concept of counterfactuals in physics, developed by Chiara Marletto and David Deutsch.

It argues that traditional physics is limited by focusing only on what actually happens, and proposes a new approach that includes what could happen.

This 'science of can and can't' aims to reformulate quantum and classical physics, and has implications for understanding information, computation, and the universe as a whole.

The book uses clear analogies and includes short fictional stories to explain complex concepts, making it accessible to a broad audience.

Mentioned by

Mentioned in 7 episodes

Mentioned by

Naval Ravikant

as a book explaining constructor theory to the layperson.

2,124 snips

#662: David Deutsch and Naval Ravikant — The Fabric of Reality, The Importance of Disobedience, The Inevitability of Artificial General Intelligence, Finding Good Problems, Redefining Wealth, Foundations of True Knowledge, Harnessing Optimism, Quantum Computing, and More

Mentioned by

Sam Harris

in relation to assembly theory.

132 snips

#388 — What Is Life?

Mentioned by

Curt Jaimungal

as an introductory book on Constructor Theory.

14 snips

Chiara Marletto: Constructor Theory, Ghost Particles, and New Form of Science

Mentioned by

Brett Hall

, she has this magnificent example about knowledge, and she calls knowledge resilient information, which is also another way of coming at this concept.