In this groundbreaking book, 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. The book takes readers on a journey through various fields of science, history of civilization, art, moral values, and the theory of political institutions. Deutsch explains how we form new explanations and drop bad ones, and discusses the conditions under which progress, which he argues is potentially boundless, can and cannot happen. He emphasizes the importance of good explanations, which he defines as those that are 'hard to vary' and have 'reach', and argues that these explanations are central to the Enlightenment way of thinking and to all scientific and philosophical progress.
In this book, Roger Penrose challenges the idea that human consciousness can be replicated by computers. He delves into various subjects including algorithms, Turing machines, complexity theory, quantum mechanics, and the basics of modern physics to support his argument that human cognition is fundamentally non-computable. Penrose discusses the limitations of Turing machines, the incompleteness of formal systems as shown by Godel's proof, and the necessity of a unified theory of quantum gravity to explain human consciousness. The book is a detailed and thought-provoking journey through mathematics, computer science, philosophy, and physics, making it a must-read for those interested in the nature of mind and the relationship between physics and consciousness.
In 'The Fabric of Reality', David Deutsch explores a four-strand theory of everything, integrating Hugh Everett's many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics, Karl Popper's epistemology, Alan Turing's theory of computation, and Richard Dawkins's evolutionary theory. The book discusses the implications of these theories, including the concept of the multiverse, quantum computers, time travel, and the ultimate fate of the universe. Deutsch argues that these theories, when taken literally and jointly, reveal a unified, objective, and comprehensible fabric of reality.
Today we [finally] have on someone who actually knows what they're actually talking about: Mr. Bruce Nielson of the excellent Theory of Anything Podcast. We bring him on to straighten us out on the topics of creativity, machine intelligence, Turing machines, and computational universality - We build upon our previous conversation way back in Ask Us Anything I: Computation and Creativity, and suggest listening to that episode first.
Go follow Bruce on twitter (https://twitter.com/bnielson01) and check out his Theory of Anything Podcast here.
(Also Vaden's audio was acting up a bit in this episode, we humbly seek forgiveness.)
We discuss
- Does theorem proving count as creativity?
- Is AlphaGo creative?
- Determinism, predictability, and chaos theory
- Essentialism and a misunderstanding of definitions
- Animal memes and understanding
- Turing Machines and computational universality
- Penrose's "proof" that we need new physics
References
Socials
- Follow us on Twitter at @IncrementsPod, @BennyChugg, @VadenMasrani
- Come join our discord server! DM us on twitter or send us an email to get a supersecret link
- Help us fund more 64 minute-long blog posts and get exclusive bonus content by becoming a patreon subscriber here. Or give us one-time cash donations to help cover our lack of cash donations here.
- Click dem like buttons on youtube
Create us up an email with something imaginatively rote, cliche and formulaic, and mail that creative stinker over to incrementspodcast@gmail.com
Special Guest: Bruce Nielson.
Support Increments
Increments 
