Sasha (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} alexanderwait) wrote in ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} ref_books,@ 2003-01-07 03:59:00 |
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The Fabric of Reality by David Deutsch [1997]
Amazon Amazon review: 5 out of 5 stars It will all be clear in 20 years..., October 10, 2002
Reviewer: Kevin Minor from Santa Cruz, Ca
David Deutch's 'Fabric of Reality' marks the triumphant return of Natural Philosophy. The central aim of this book is to present the structure of our best theories (evolution, [Quantum] computer science and epistemology) in a way that clearly relates them to our understanding of reality, and then show how these structures are inextricably intertwined. I believe he is remarkably successful and displays a thorough understanding of the subject matter outside of his 'native' QM as those subjects relate to his 'Theory of Everything'. Speaking of which, he is also the first (that I know of) to come anywhere close to understanding what this TOE really IS (and will become). That is, our TOE is now, and at any point in the future or past, the core intertwining of these theoretical strucures he so elegantly exposes.
In order to appreciate this book, it is neccessary to understand the angle Deutch takes on the undertanding of science and the growth of knowledge. And this requires a bit of historical context.
In the early 20th century, the two infant sciences of quantum mechanics and computation theory had no observed connections. In turn, the counter-intuitive results of the quantum theory (as revealed over the next 100 years) led to a loss of confidence in our ability to understand reality (as expoused by such buzzwords as 'uncertainty'). This intellectual climate led many of our best scientists to ignore the importance of taking our best theories seriously. Instrumentalism and positivism flourished. Explaination and understanding where not considered fundamentally important. Everything was arbitrary and only utility mattered (in the sense that accurate prediction was thought to be the only useful thing to do with a theory). Consequently, it was not understood how knowledge grew, as understanding itself was seen as unimportant!
If any of Deutsch's four theoretical 'strands' could be called the seed of Deutch's synthesis, it would be Popper's epistemology. For it is this explainatory structure that provides the 'structure for the structure' that Deutch then fits the remaining strands into. Essentially, Popperian epistemology says that knowledge grows only through the process of trial and error, conjecture and refutation, not by some inductive process. And the key to formulating a conjecture that will survive the refutation process is understanding the explainatory structures of our best theories as they relate to the problem's domain. The creation of new knowledge requires the human capacities of innovation and creativity, specifically the mysterious weaving process whereby similarities between seemingly disparate phenomenon are spontaneously seen. This is how Deutch weaves an accurate (though tenative) description of reality. More importantly, this is how Deutch's reality says it must be [self consistency]. If Deustch's theory itself is true, then, it constitutes a growth of knowledge. The theory itself describes how this can happen.
I would guess that Deutch had his first glimpse of the woven threads when he figured out that computation theory, once thought to be purely an abstract construct, had to have a physical basis in reality. After all, computers are physical objects, subject to the laws of physics. Alan Turing's classical computation theory had many incompatibilities with classical physics that kept it in the realm of abstractions, but we now know classical phyics is false. This physical basis for computation turned out to have its roots in our newest, most fundamental (reductively speaking) physical theory, quantum mechanics. Combine this with the role of computation in evolution (genes 'rendering' environments), along with the role of our senses in representing our environment to our brains (virtual reality), and the growth of knowledge (rendering ideas) and you can see how computational processes are fundamental to Deutch's reality.
Deutch's contribtions to science and philosophy probably won't be appreciated until we have working, practical quantum computers. Only then, when his theories are what allow us to build our working technology will he be taken seriously. 'Fabric of Reality' provides us then with a prescient glimpse of what will eventually become our world view, describing the first great unification of our best theories. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Amazon Amazon review: 5 out of 5 stars It will all be clear in 20 years..., October 10, 2002
Reviewer: Kevin Minor from Santa Cruz, Ca
David Deutch's 'Fabric of Reality' marks the triumphant return of Natural Philosophy. The central aim of this book is to present the structure of our best theories (evolution, [Quantum] computer science and epistemology) in a way that clearly relates them to our understanding of reality, and then show how these structures are inextricably intertwined. I believe he is remarkably successful and displays a thorough understanding of the subject matter outside of his 'native' QM as those subjects relate to his 'Theory of Everything'. Speaking of which, he is also the first (that I know of) to come anywhere close to understanding what this TOE really IS (and will become). That is, our TOE is now, and at any point in the future or past, the core intertwining of these theoretical strucures he so elegantly exposes.
In order to appreciate this book, it is neccessary to understand the angle Deutch takes on the undertanding of science and the growth of knowledge. And this requires a bit of historical context.
In the early 20th century, the two infant sciences of quantum mechanics and computation theory had no observed connections. In turn, the counter-intuitive results of the quantum theory (as revealed over the next 100 years) led to a loss of confidence in our ability to understand reality (as expoused by such buzzwords as 'uncertainty'). This intellectual climate led many of our best scientists to ignore the importance of taking our best theories seriously. Instrumentalism and positivism flourished. Explaination and understanding where not considered fundamentally important. Everything was arbitrary and only utility mattered (in the sense that accurate prediction was thought to be the only useful thing to do with a theory). Consequently, it was not understood how knowledge grew, as understanding itself was seen as unimportant!
If any of Deutsch's four theoretical 'strands' could be called the seed of Deutch's synthesis, it would be Popper's epistemology. For it is this explainatory structure that provides the 'structure for the structure' that Deutch then fits the remaining strands into. Essentially, Popperian epistemology says that knowledge grows only through the process of trial and error, conjecture and refutation, not by some inductive process. And the key to formulating a conjecture that will survive the refutation process is understanding the explainatory structures of our best theories as they relate to the problem's domain. The creation of new knowledge requires the human capacities of innovation and creativity, specifically the mysterious weaving process whereby similarities between seemingly disparate phenomenon are spontaneously seen. This is how Deutch weaves an accurate (though tenative) description of reality. More importantly, this is how Deutch's reality says it must be [self consistency]. If Deustch's theory itself is true, then, it constitutes a growth of knowledge. The theory itself describes how this can happen.
I would guess that Deutch had his first glimpse of the woven threads when he figured out that computation theory, once thought to be purely an abstract construct, had to have a physical basis in reality. After all, computers are physical objects, subject to the laws of physics. Alan Turing's classical computation theory had many incompatibilities with classical physics that kept it in the realm of abstractions, but we now know classical phyics is false. This physical basis for computation turned out to have its roots in our newest, most fundamental (reductively speaking) physical theory, quantum mechanics. Combine this with the role of computation in evolution (genes 'rendering' environments), along with the role of our senses in representing our environment to our brains (virtual reality), and the growth of knowledge (rendering ideas) and you can see how computational processes are fundamental to Deutch's reality.
Deutch's contribtions to science and philosophy probably won't be appreciated until we have working, practical quantum computers. Only then, when his theories are what allow us to build our working technology will he be taken seriously. 'Fabric of Reality' provides us then with a prescient glimpse of what will eventually become our world view, describing the first great unification of our best theories. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
