
We Explained Our Way Into Civilization | With David Deutsch
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About this episode
David Deutsch, physicist and author of The Beginning of Infinity, joins Alex Buxeda to discuss what makes a good explanation, why entropy is our friend, why belief has no place in rational thought, and why death is just a failure of engineering. From Popper and quantum gravity to the Enlightenment and falling birth rates, Deutsch makes the case that we explained our way into civilization, and that we will always be at the beginning of infinity. 0:00 Preview 1:06 Intro 1:46 What makes a good explanation 5:52 A theory's content is what it forbids 6:34 Anything physics allows is achievable 15:00 Why confidence and belief are the wrong goals 28:35 Will we ever reach the final truth? 33:02 Death…