The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World

David Deutsch

Jul 2011 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

The New York Times bestseller: A provocative, imaginative exploration of the nature and progress of knowledge

“Dazzling.” – Steven Pinker, The Guardian

In this groundbreaking book, award-winning physicist 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. Taking us on a journey through every fundamental field of science, as well as the history of civilization, art, moral values, and the theory of political institutions, Deutsch tracks how we form new explanations and drop bad ones, explaining the conditions under which progress—which he argues is potentially boundless—can and cannot happen. Hugely ambitious and highly original, The Beginning of Infinity explores and establishes deep connections between the laws of nature, the human condition, knowledge, and the possibility for progress.

Ratings and reviews

After reading the Fabric of Reality earlier this year, I looked forward to reading this book to continue learning more about Deutsch's view of the world. Deutsch makes a compelling argument for the power of explanations to create change in the world. I was particularly interested in his argument about the differences between predictions and prophecies to explain why the imminent doom that is so prevalent in our history rarely manifests itself. I see a lot of parallels in this thinking with Taleb's Black Swans to explain why people get themselves in trouble when they think they understand what is really going on. This book should be required reading for anyone who is making pronouncements about what the world will be like in the future. Deutsch is one of the leading thinkers in the world.I plan to reread this soon and will continue to consider his ideas for some time to come.

The most profound and insightful book I have read in many years. Certainly the most thought-provoking since the last book ("The Fabric of Reality") I read by this author.

the book inspired me to write a blog and delve into philosophy writ large, starting with developing my own epistemology.

About the author

Born in Haifa, Israel, David Deutsch was educated at Cambridge and Oxford Universities. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a professor of physics at the University of Oxford, where he is a member of the Centre for Quantum Computation. His papers on quantum computation laid the foundations for that field, and he is an authority on the theory of parallel universes. His honors include the Institute of Physics' Paul Dirac Prize and Medal. The author of The Fabric of Reality, he lives in England.