The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World (79 page)

dark energy
451

dark matter
36
,
46
,
67

Darwin, Charles
80
,
82
,
87
,
91

Darwin, Erasmus
87
,
88

Darwinian theory
80
,
89

Marx on
371

neo-Darwinism
89
–
96
,
103
,
104
–
5

refutation possibilities
95
–
6

data
15
,
18
,
210
,
315
,
323

Dawkins, Juliet
353
,
362

Dawkins, Richard
52
–
3
,
56
–
7
,
92
,
93
,
279

argument from personal incredulity
164

Haldane–Dawkins ‘queerer-than-we-can-suppose’ argument
53
,
56
,
59
,
81

death
48
,
63
,
69
,
436
,
453
,
459

elimination of
63
,
213
,
455

evil of
213

fear of
84

decision-making
335

conventional model of
341

democratic
344
–
5
;
see also
voting

and Popper’s criterion of ridding ourselves of bad governments without violence
344
–
51
,
352

and problem solving
341
–
2

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

society-wide planning and
335
–
51

by weighing
340
–
42

decoherence
285
,
303

deconstructionism
314

deduction
5

deep space
47
–
8
,
66
–
9
,
71
–
2
,
293

deforestation
418
,
420
–
21
,
422

Demeter
19
–
21
,
24
,
26

democracy
217
,
250
,
333
,
335

democratic decision-making in elections
344
–
5

see also
voting
; plurality voting
346
–
50

Dennett, Daniel
117
,
154

design
44
,
125
,
131
,
139
,
144
,
155
,
159
–
162
,
201
,
357
,
367

appearance of
44
,
50
,
84
–
6
,
87
,
97
,
98
,
106
,
357
,
363
–
4

Paley’s criterion for
85
–
7

argument from
83
–
7

creationism and designers
43
,
49
,
51
,
73
,
79
–
81
,
97

in the laws of physics
96
–
103

determinism
277
,
287
,
371

deterministic laws
263
,
265
,
267
,
268
,
270
,
275
,
276
,
279
,
305

Deutsch, David,
The Fabric of Reality
109
–
10
,
450
,
460

diagonal argument
170
–
71
,
172

Diamond, Jared
425
–
9
,
430
,
442

dictatorship
see
tyranny

meaning of ‘dictator’ in Arrow’s theorem
343

no-dictator axiom
336

Difference Engine
135
–
6

Difference Engine, The
(Gibson and Sterling)
137

differentiation

calculus
164

of histories in a multiverse
273
–
5
,
276
–
9
,
287
–
8

decoherence and
285

interference and
283
–
7
,
291
,
293

rate of growth of distinct
histories
287
;
see also
waves of differentiation

digital technology
139
–
42

dinosaurs
162
,
315

disasters, natural
42
,
49
,
63
,
200
,
202
,
206
–
7

discrete variables
128
,
140
,
142
,
274
,
305
,
450

discrete/continuous dichotomy
140
,
142
,
274
,
298
,
450

disease
59
,
63
,
196
,
200
,
213
,
294
,
385
,
437

Black Death
208
,
385
,
437

cholera
207

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

pandemics/epidemics
196
,
208
,
418
,
436
;
see also
Black Death
above

DNA
56
–
7
,
62
,
67
,
78
,
95
,
162
,
375
,
376

computer
145

damage
294

and the genetic code’s jump to universality
143
–
6
,
162
–
3

in pollen
360

dogmas/dogmatism
13
,
23
,
26
,
66
,
122
,
445
,
447

domino computer (Hofstadter)
115
–
17
,
118
,
185
,
358

doomsday argument
455
–
6

doppelgangers
258
,
263
–
4
,
265
,
270
–
72

Doyle, Arthur Conan
10

Dragon’s Egg
(Forward)
97

dream

hallucination
301

Popperian epistemology taught in a ‘dream of Socrates’
223
–
54

reality and experience as a waking dream
241
–
2
,
252
–
3

drugs
317
–
18

Easter Island
418
–
24
,
430
–
31

economic forecasts
371
,
437
,
439

ecosystems

artificial/virtual
68

see also
biosphere

Eden, Garden of
52
,
63

Edison, Thomas
36
,
41
,
158
,
341

see also
inspiration/perspiration

education
123
,
203
–
4
,
210
,
217
–
18
,
230
–
31
,
244
,
247
,
252
,
254
,
311
,
377
–
8
,
382
,
389
,
391
,
392
,
393
,
400
,
409
,
431
,
435

academic knowledge
4
,
255
,
369
,
393
,
446

because I say so
311
,
391
–
2
,
395

moral
230
–
31

university
34
–
6
,
158
,
255
,
308
,
309
,
403
,
406
,
409
,
433
,
446

see also
fun
;
Popper on instruction

Ehrlich, Paul
431
–
2
,
440

Einstein, Albert
60
,
104
,
113
,
255
,
256
,
307
,
310
,
312
,
446
–
7
,
451

curved space and time
183
–
4

explanation of planetary motion
112
,
113

general theory of relativity
29
,
61
,
107
,
312

and the problem of quantum gravity
449
–
50

special theory of relativity
199

Elbot
program
151
,
156

electoral systems
338
–
40

and democratic decision-making
344
–
5

plurality voting system
346
–
50

see also
proportional representation

electron(s)
70
,
108
,
289
–
91
,
293
,
294
,
298
,
324
,
454

field
291

microscope
39

elegance
3
,
25
,
32
,
42
,
94
,
199
,
355
,
367
,
387

elementary particles
see
particles, elementary

elements

ancient theory of
14

formation of
1
,
2
,
40
,
50
,
61
–
2
,
96

Eliza
program
148
–
9
,
161

see also
chatbots

emergence
104
,
108
–
11
,
118
–
19
,
123
,
156
,
292
,
302
–
3
,
305
,
395

causation as emergent
118

Hofstadter’s ‘I’ and
115
–
18

levels of emergence and of explanation
114
,
116
,
118
,
123
,
124
,
130
,
141
,
293
,
373
,
444
,
459

and reductionism
109
–
10

emotions
154
,
356
,
384
,
389

empiricism
4
–
29
,
32
,
119
,
122
,
155
,
165
,
311
–
12
,
358
,
361
,
411

and the deceptiveness of the senses
8
,
14
,
301

failed to eliminate authority
8
–
10
;
see also
justificationism

the falseness of
7
–
8
,
32
,
39
,
120
,
209
–
10
,
403

and the history of ideas
311
–
12
,
314
–
16
,
325
,
345
,
354

Horgan’s misconceptions based on
448

and inductivism
5
–
7

and instrumentalism
15

mistaken idea of theory-free observation
39

salutary role
13
,
311

see also
knowledge

end-of-the-world prophet
14
,
21
–
2
;
see also
Malthusian prophetic fallacy

energy
267
,
361
,
439

dark
451

and fungibility
267
,
298

gravitational
3
,
450

law of conservation of
109

needed for knowledge creation
61
–
2
,
146

of photons in different universes
297
–
8

quantized
274
,
291
,
298
,
433

solar
50
,
66
,
74

Engels, Friedrich
426
,
428
,
430
,
442

ENIAC (computer)
139

Enlightenment, the
31

British
65
–
6
;

and progress
12
–
14
,
22
–
3
,
29
,
32
–
3
,
65
–
6
,
133
,
203
,
390
–
91

and the scientific revolution
12
,
14
,
23
,
32
,
53