How to Keep Making Advancements in a Transforming World

Here is the short version of this article: Progress = Criticism + Optimism

David Deutsch is a British physicist known for his significant contribution to the field of quantum physics. In his two books, "The Beginning of Infinity" and "The Fabrics of Reality," he attempted to advance our most profound scientific theories by unifying them. The Beginning of Infinity is a deep book that makes neural connections in your brain that have never happened before, resulting in enlightening ideas. This article examines the number one mental model that I got from The Beginning of Infinity as it relates to the nature of progress.

Let's define some terms to ensure we are on the same page:

• Optimism: All evils are caused by insufficient knowledge. Therefore, every problem is solvable with the right knowledge.
• Criticism: Actively identifying errors and problems and admitting that human beings are fallible (prone to making mistakes).
• Progress: Advancement in knowledge and the reach of human explanations.

Advancement in the explanatory reach of humans and progress are both sides of the same coin. When we can explain why and how something works, it is a matter of time until we create that. People had dreamed of flying for hundreds of years. Only when Newton explained the invisible forces of nature in terms of mathematical equations did we harness the same forces that prevented us from flying to fly. It was first explained by abstractions and then controlled. If we can explain how something works, we can control it. The good news is that we can eventually build every technology we can think of unless limited by the laws of physics. It is well within the reach of humans to become multi-planetary species and explore the universe. Why was the knowledge of invisible forces created by Newton?

Newton's creativity was fruitful only because of the tradition of criticism that was going on during the Enlightenment era—the tradition of identifying and eliminating errors and questioning authorities as the rightful source of knowledge. A humble acknowledgment that we are fallible and our understanding is not perfect. Businesses should establish a tradition of identifying errors (criticism) and eliminating them in order to make progress. A political, business, or scientific system can create knowledge and progress by being open to criticism and believing every problem is soluble. Therefore, the system should effectively identify errors and bad actors and eliminate them. Problems are inevitable. It is impossible to predict how and when they will happen. If it were possible, then there would be no problems because we would prevent them. However, companies and individuals can develop a dynamic mechanism that embraces problems and tries to solve them. That means a political system that eliminates bad actors, a scientific community that eliminates fools, and a business that embraces problems and innovates to mitigate those problems. That is the beginning of infinite progress. That is The Beginning of Infinity.

Berkshire Hathaway has an interesting error correction mechanism. As Warren Buffett explained in his 2019 letter to shareholders: "As the years pass, the 'poor' businesses tend to stagnate, thereupon entering a state in which its operations require an ever-smaller percentage of Berkshire's capital. Meanwhile, our 'good' businesses often tend to grow [omitted text]. Because of these contrasting trajectories, the assets employed at Berkshire's winners gradually become an expanding portion of our total capital". We are bound to make mistakes. What is necessary is a system that is robust to errors. Warren Buffet has another quote that captures this idea, "You should invest in a business that even a fool can run, because someday a fool will."

Humans and human systems are fallible (prone to errors). That is why we must be open to criticism to identify those errors. And we must be optimistic that those errors are soluble, given the right knowledge and error-elimination mechanisms. By applying criticism and optimism, we can build better businesses and better lives. There is always an opportunity to create more wealth and prosperity as long as problems exist. And the good news is that problems are inevitable.

Purchase The Beginning of Infinity on Amazon

Purchase the Beginning of Infinity