David Deutsch

scientific process evolution problem niche theory gene

“The whole [scientific] process resembles biological evolution. A problem is like an ecological niche, and a theory is like a gene or a species which is being tested for viability in that niche.”

― David Deutsch

time flow experience perception present past

“We do not experience time flowing, or passing. What we experience are differences between our present perceptions and our present memories of past perceptions. We interpret those differences, correctly, as evidence that the universe changes with time. We also interpret them, incorrectly, as evidence that our consciousness, or the present, or something, moves through time.”

― David Deutsch

state creative thought name death

“an unproblematic state is a state without creative thought. Its other name is death.”

― David Deutsch

insignificant universe lage inadequate cow

“Feeling insignificant because the universe is large has exactly the same logic as feeling inadequate for not being a cow.”

― David Deutsch

theory computation abstract mathematics computer physics

“The theory of computation has traditionally been studied almost entirely in the abstract, as a topic in pure mathematics. This is to miss the point of it. Computers are physical objects, and computations are physical processes. What computers can or cannot compute is determined by the laws of physics alone, and not by pure mathematics.”

― David Deutsch

decision-making select formula create option

“It is a mistake to conceive of choice and decision-making as a process of selecting from existing options according to a fixed formula. That omits the most important element of decision-making, namely the creation of new options.”

― David Deutsch

poltical institutiondetect politician policy mistake remove rule

“Good political institutions are those that make it as easy as possible to detect whether a ruler or policy is a mistake, and to remove rulers or policies without violence when they are.”

― David Deutsch

limitation knowledge-creation prophecy predict create effect

“The most important of all limitations on knowledge–creation is that we cannot prophecy: we cannot predict the content of ideas yet to be created, or their effects. This limitation is not only consistent with the unlimited growth of knowledge, it is entailed by it.”

― David Deutsch

theory common sense true

"Our best theories are not only truer than common sense, they make more sense than common sense..."

― David Deutsch

program understand

"If you can’t program it, you haven’t understood it."

― David Deutsch

theory rejection bad explanation experimental test

"The overwhelming majority of theories are rejected because they contain bad explanations, not because they fail experimental tests."

― David Deutsch