Creativity and Progress
From Scientific Method to Human Creativity: Uncovering the Beginning of Infinity
One of the most influential books I have ever read is “The Beginning of Infinity” by David Deutsch. David is a physics professor at Oxford and is considered the father of the quantum computer. Although the book is written for scientists, its most significant insights are philosophical and extend well beyond the realm of physics.
TL;DR
In "The Beginning of Infinity," David Deutsch discusses
why human knowledge is special and one of the most powerful forces in the universe
what constitutes good explanations in science
the nature of human creativity
He also touches on topics such as the multiverse theory and quantum computing. Deutsch uses these points to challenge common misconceptions about progress, human nature, and science. For example, he notes that most parts of Earth are not inherently hospitable for human life, and it is through technology and invention that we have made these places livable.
The book provides a fresh perspective on human progress, how it can be achieved, and the underlying reasoning behind the latest theories in the philosophy of science, computation and the Everettian interpretation of quantum theory. In this blog post, we will only deal with some commentary on the philosophy of science.
Rethinking progress
Growing up, I was taught about the dangers of human inventions through the old Faustian myth:
When humans try to play god, they make a pact with the devil.
The consequences are catastrophic, including nuclear disasters (like Chernobyl), economic crises, starvation, gene-edited seeds that may induce cancer, and human-induced climate change that threatens our survival. This view of the world is quite depressing - the world always seems to end tomorrow.
Unfortunately, it has led to generations of fear-driven bureaucrats and their followers who are more interested in using public demonstrations that involve glueing their hands to pieces of art than in finding practical solutions to our contemporary problems.
However, reading David Deutsch's book has changed my perspective. It offers a more positive and empowering view of human progress and the possibilities of science and technology.
What is human progress?
David begins his exploration by looking at the night sky. We have made great strides in understanding our universe.
For example, during the Middle Ages, people believed that the Earth was covered by a sphere with holes in it, allowing light to shine through. Today, we have a better grasp of the universe's structure, including the fusion reaction that powers almost all stars. In fact, we can even replicate this reaction on Earth.
Why is this so significant?
It highlights the power of human knowledge. There are only two places in the universe where fusion reactions occur: inside of stars and, thanks to human intervention, on Earth. We are attempting to harness this technology to create cheap and clean energy for humanity.
Scientific, good explanations
David argues that we humans are problem solvers, which is the very essence of science. We encounter a problem, or notice something odd in our environment. So we come up with explanations why things are the way they are. Going back to the example with the stars, we might propose:
Is it a sphere covering earth?
Or, is it little light bulbs that are held up by angles?
Or, is it the leftovers of a huge explosion that took place billions of years ago?
According to the scientific method we can now observe and pick the best explanation for a given phenomenon. Of course, this is a ridiculous example, but it outlines the core idea of the scientific method.
David refers to this approach as Karl Popper’s method of “conjectures and refutations”: Starting with a problem, figuring out explanations, opening them for criticism and selecting the best solution. Repeating this process over centuries eventually lead us to fusion energy and commercial space travel.
Creativity
So, what exactly is human creativity? An important question to ask, especially in the age of ever more powerful AI models.
Human creativity is our ability to come up with novel explanations or solutions, that were not apparent or known before. David gives this example: Give a dog the option to choose from two bowls with food. He will choose either one or the other.
Give a human the option of 2 dishes. He might choose one option as well, or he might combine the 2 dishes into an entirely new dish. Or he will go to the spice cabinet, pull out an exotic herb and add that for an entirely different taste.
Don’t get too hung up with the details of this example, the point is that humans can create solutions that were not known before.
This is what separates humans and human creativity from every other thing in the universe - to our knowledge, we are the only ones who are able to make progress by creative problem solving.
So, good news for everyone who thinks AI is going to take all our jobs - AIs can only access the data set that they were trained on. They might be able to recombine information, but they can’t come up with creative solutions to problems. We are not even close to what is called AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), which will allow creative problem solving by a machine.
Conclusion
David Deutsch's book "The Beginning of Infinity" presents a groundbreaking paradigm change by highlighting the importance of human knowledge, scientific problem-solving, and human creativity.
His philosophy provides a more positive outlook on human progress and the potential for technology to solve problems. Moreover, it emphasizes the uniqueness of human creativity and the need for more positivism in education, particularly as we move towards a more digital future where creative problem-solving skills will become increasingly important.
By embracing the principles of science and promoting a more positive outlook on human progress, we can encourage future generations to develop the creativity and problem-solving skills necessary for success in the digital age.
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