The fabric of reality
by David Deutsch · first published 1997
64% recommend28% neutral8% critical
Why HN recommends it
Wide-ranging account of how Deutsch thinks, tying quantum theory and many-worlds, computation, evolution and Popperian explanation into one view; accessible to smart general readers and a route into quantum computing.
Common criticism: Some find it hand-wavy and dogmatic in pushing many-worlds
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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…(by experiment) is that it isn't a scientific idea; it's a philosophical one. It is potentially 'falsifiable' by criticism, however. The best modern Popper proponent is David Deutsch. See his books The Fabric of Reality and The Beginning of Infinity. They're both packed with interesting ideas and arguments. He says that Popper did indeed solve the problem of induction. And here's a recent paper of his on the logic of…
on “The Paradox of Karl Popper” ↗…cultural moral landscape. The experiment in question was testing an explanation, there is a HUGE lack of understanding of things that are banned, like Psilocybin--because they are banned. See also: The Fabric of Reality by David Deutsch
on “Psilocybin and migraine: First of its kind trial reports promising results” ↗That book is mistaken (it goes so far as to deny the possibility of scientific progress), see instead The Fabric of Reality which comments on Kuhn and provides a better theory. http://www.amazon.com/Fabric-Reality-Parallel-Universes-Impl... Edit: btw you got the title wrong.
on “Has college dropout done the impossible and created a perpetual motion machine?” ↗I'd add Conjectures and Refutations (Karl Popper) The Fabric of Reality (David Deutsch) Also Feynman has some shorter/easier but serious physics books that some might prefer: QED and The Character of Physical Law. And his computation lectures book is good.
on “Reading list for those who love to learn” ↗…but because we have an explanatory theory of how stars work. Going into detail on how that process works is a little too long for an HN comment. If you really want to know, read David Deutsch's "The Fabric of Reality", particularly chapter 7. (Or go straight to the source and read Karl Popper.)
on “Grue and Bleen: New riddle of induction” ↗I loved “The Fabric of Reality”, but I fear (granted, from his Twitter, which can be less representative of his Good Ideas) Deutsch is at risk of going Dawkins.
on “David Deutsch’s Constructor Theory” ↗The Fabric of Reality - David Deutsch http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Deutsch#The_Fabric_of_Rea...
on “What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?” ↗Not the parent poster, but David Deutsch in "The Fabric of Reality": both outward-looking and utterly married to Popper.
on “Against Method” ↗No, you're wrong about that. The ability to do science provides overwhelming evidence that solipsism is false. For an extended treatment, read David Deutsch's "The Fabric of Reality" chapter 3.
on “Mindfulness meditation trumps placebo in pain reduction” ↗Falsification is only a small part of the story. The other part, the much more important part, is explanatory power. David Deutsch does an excellent job of explaining this in his book The Fabric of Reality, mainly in chapter 7. Highly recommended. Induction, BTW, is completely invalid as a mode of reasoning (speaking here of logical induction, not mathematical induction). You can flip a coin 10,000 times…
on “The Paradox of Karl Popper” ↗David Deutsch: The Fabric of Reality
on “Ask HN: What is the best book you read in 2020?” ↗The Fabric of Reality. Why? Find out for yourself. Read the opening paragraphs here: http://www.qubit.org/people/david/FabricOfReality/FoRExtract... Also, I second GEB.
on “What books would you recommend reading? Why?” ↗The Fabric of Reality - David Deutsch Godel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hoftstadter Karl Popper's books (too many to list) The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
on “Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?” ↗Its not possible to argue against this idea in a comment because it takes a lot of work to disprove. Try reading "The fabric of reality" by quantum physicist/computationalist David Deutsch.
on “Is reality a simulation?” ↗You might like to read "The fabric of reality" by David Deutsch (quantum physicist). If you can withstand his arguments for an objective reality then you are a true solipsist.