The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World (78 page)

humans as chemical scum
44
–
8
,
51
,
72
,
73

chess
36
,
114
,
118
,
136
,
157

choice
326
–
52

apportionment paradoxes
326
–
33

decision-making and social choice
see
decision-making

devising an electoral system
338
–
40

social-choice theory
335
,
337
–
8
,
342
–
3
,
345
,
352

applied to an individual mind
340
–
41

voters’
342

cholera
207

Churchill, Winston
201
,
333

cimenti
14

civilization

Athenian
216
–
18
,
224
–
5
,
229
–
33
,
244
–
51
,
246

of Easter Island
418
,
419
–
23
,
430
–
31

extra-terrestrial civilizations
202
–
4

Florentine
218
–
20

optimism and
208
–
22

pessimism and
196
–
203

Polynesian
419
,
421
,
427

present and pre-Enlightenment
204

Spartan
218
,
230
–
33
,
244
–
51

survival
62
–
3
,
196
–
7
,
202
,
204
–
5
,
206
–
8

vulnerability of
201
,
202
–
3
,
207
–
8
,
436
;
see also
disasters, natural

see also
societies

climate change
437
–
41

Cold War
196
,
205
,
428

Colossus computers
139

common sense
266

mistaken
5
,
26
,
82
,
122
,
262
,
279
,
280
,
340
,
397
,
403

see also
reason

complementarity, principle of
308
–
9

complexity
see
simplicity and complexity

computer programs
36
,
115
–
18
,
129
,
414

AI
see
artificial intelligence

chess
114
,
118
,
157

evolutionary algorithms
160

and the simulation argument
453
–
5

computers/computation
36
,
60
,
95
,
107
,
119
,
194

analogue
140

Analytical Engine
136
–
8
,
139
,
140

Colossus
139

coloured displays
434

computational universality
135
–
42
,
189
,
191

computer science and mathematical proof
184

connection between physics and computation
189
–
92

Difference Engine
135
–
6

DNA computer
145

ENIAC
139

Hofstadter’s domino computer
115
–
17
,
118

and physics
187
,
189
–
92
,
295
–
6

programs
see
computer programs

quantum computation
187
,
295
–
6

and the silicon chip
139

and the simulation argument
453
–
5

supercomputer simulation predictions
439

Conan Doyle, Arthur
10

Condorcet, Nicolas de
66

configurational entities
266
–
7

conformity
7
,
217
,
218
,
231
,
382
,
402
,
413

Congress, US, apportionment
326
–
33

conjecture
2
,
9
,
10
,
17
,
26
,
78
,
239
–
40

and abstractions
119

creative
412

and criticism
192
,
239
–
40
,
412
;
see also
criticism

mathematical
185
–
6
,
191
–
3

memes as conjectural explanations
412

conjuring tricks
10
,
14
–
16
,
17
,
18
–
19
,
29
,
41
,
79
,
82
,
113
,
155
,
214
,
315
,
324
,
410

and measurement
40
,
229

visions, perception and
229
,
241
–
2

consciousness
153
–
4
,
157
,
162
–
3
,
318
,
415

test for judging claims to have understood
154

consent
155
,
266
,
343

conspicuous consumption
433

constants of nature
see
physics, constants of

Constitution, US
335

and apportionment paradoxes
326
–
33

constructors, universal
58
–
60
,
62
,
76
,
429

Continental Enlightenment
65
–
6
,
313

continuum
43
,
140
–
2
,
159
,
164
,
181
,
274
,
298
,
450

infinity of the
164
,
170
,
182
,
195

control
45
,
55
–
6
,
62
,
69
–
71
,
88
,
111
,
130
,
134
–
9
,
159
,
241
–
2
,
384
,
391
–
2
,
415
,
459

convergence

between Spaceship Earth and the Principle of Mediocrity
45
,
53

convergent evolution
95

and error correction
350

upon the truth
231
,
257
,
350
,
368

Conway, John
166

Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory
308
–
10
,
312
,
315
,
322
,
324
,
325

copying

memes not replicated by imitation
402
–
10

replicators
see
memes
;
replicators

cork
72
–
4

correspondence
39
,
241

of theories with objective truth
353

one-to-one
167
,
170
,
171
–
2
,
181
,
193

t
allying
128
,
129
,
130
–
31
,
134
,
140
–
41
,
193
,
356

cosmic rays
68
,
293
–
4

cosmic significance
see
significance

cosmology
68
,
81
,
113
,
445
,
450
–
53

evolutionary cosmologies
178
–
9

see also
astrophysics

cow, size of
35

creation of knowledge
78
–
105

and the argument from design
83
–
7

impeded by bad philosophy
305
–
25
,
448

causing convergence
350

creationism and
79
–
81
,
104

about environments
74
–
5

and error correction
140
–
2
,
147
,
271
,
302

ex nihilo
104
,
345

fine-tuning of the universe and
96
–
103
,
104
,
106

as a transition process from problems to better problems
446
–
7

Lamarckism and
87
–
9

and the limitation on predictability
104
,
193
,
197
–
8
,
212

neo-Darwinism and
89
–
96

not affected by distance
275
,
427

open-ended/unbounded
vii
,
60
–
65
,
66
,
67
,
69
,
81
,
146
,
165
,
175
,
450
–
52

optimism and
196
–
222
,
431

requirements for
61

spark for
75

spontaneous generation and
81
–
3

creationism
79
–
81
,
86
,
104
,
193

fine-tuning as supposed evidence for
97

and spontaneous generation
82

see also
Paley, William

creativity
30

artificial
148
–
63
;
see also
artificial intelligence (AI)

artistic
355
–
7
;
see also
aesthetics

creative conjecture
412
;
see also
conjecture

creatively changing the options
351

in discovering new explanations
7
–
8

as an evolutionary process in the brain
373

evolution of
398
–
400
,
402
–
15
,
416

future of
415
–
16

mutual enhancement of meme transmission and
400

needed to improve explanations
342

puzzle of what use it was in non-innovating cultures
398
–
402
,
410
–
15

and scientific toil
41
,
355
–
6

as a hideous joke played on humans
416

criterion of demarcation (Popper)
14
see also
testability

criticism
114
,
119
,
233

conjecture and
58
,
192
,
203
,
239
–
40
,
352
,
412

immunity from
230
–
3
,
310
,
316
,
324
,
325
,
346
,
347

suppressed by anti-rational memes
391
,
393

by testing
see
experimental testing

tradition of
13
,
23
,
31
–
3
,
209
,
216
,
220
,
231
,
308
,
390
,
431

as variation of information
78

crystals
83

liquid
434

cubes, notional, in space
47
,
66
–
8
,
74
–
5

cultural evolution
369
–
97

and the biosphere–culture analogy
371
–
2

and dynamic societies
387
–
8
,
424

the Enlightenment
390
–
93

ideas that survive
369
–
72

living with memes
394
–
6

meme evolution
372
–
8
,
400
,
413

rational and anti-rational memes
388
–
90

the selfish meme
378
–
9
,
387

and static societies
380
,
383
–
6
,
414

subcultures
393

cultural relativism
314
,
356

culture
397
see also
cultural evolution

cures
11
,
153
,
213
,
272
,
422
,
437
,
455

curvature of spacetime
107
,
112
,
183
–
4
,
312
,
450