The Beginning of Infinity

The Amazing Power of Explanations: A Journey into the Beginning of Infinity Imagine you're building a LEGO castle. You start with a pile of bricks – that's like all the stuff in the universe, from stars to tiny atoms. But just having the bricks isn't enough. You need instructions, a plan, right? That plan, that explanation, is what David Deutsch's book, "The Beginning of Infinity," is all about. He argues that explanations are the most powerful things in the universe, the key to understanding everything and making amazing progress. Deutsch starts by explaining something called "hard problems." These are problems that seem impossible to solve, like curing cancer or understanding the universe. He says that people often give up on hard problems, thinking they're too difficult or that some things are just "mysteries." But Deutsch disagrees! He thinks that *every* problem, no matter how hard, can be solved if we have the right explanation. Think of it like this: imagine you're trying to build a really complicated LEGO spaceship, and you've got a huge pile of bricks but no instructions. You might try random things, putting bricks together hoping something works, but you'll probably just end up with a messy pile. That's like how people used to approach hard problems – by trial and error, hoping for luck. But if you had instructions – a good explanation of how to build the spaceship – you could build it perfectly, even if it's incredibly complex! A good explanation doesn't just tell you *what* to do; it tells you *why* you should do it, how it fits into the bigger picture, and how to fix mistakes. Deutsch calls these good explanations "creative explanations." They're not just descriptions of things; they're explanations that show how things work and how they can be improved. They're like the blueprint for building something better, whether it's a better LEGO spaceship, a better cure for a disease, or a better understanding of the universe. He uses the example of how we understand flying. For a long time, people believed that heavier-than-air flight was impossible. They had limited explanations based on their understanding of birds and the way things fall. But then, people started developing better explanations – about lift, air pressure, and engine power. These creative explanations led to the invention of airplanes, something previously thought impossible. Another example is the development of computers. For centuries, people dreamt of machines that could think, but they lacked the necessary explanations of how the human brain works and how to replicate its functions using different materials. Eventually, people developed better explanations of logic, information processing, and electricity. These led to the creation of computers, transforming our world in countless ways. Deutsch also talks about "knowledge" and how it's different from "belief." A belief is something you think is true, but you might not have any good reason for believing it. Knowledge, on the other hand, is a justified true belief, meaning you have good reasons – explanations – to support your belief. It's not just about being right; it's about understanding *why* you're right. He emphasizes that progress comes from constantly questioning and improving our explanations. We should always be looking for better, more accurate, and more powerful explanations of the world around us. This process of refining our explanations is what drives scientific and technological advancements, and it's what will allow us to solve even the hardest problems facing humanity.