The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World (87 page)

reductionism
109
–
10
,
114
,
123
,
361
,
371
,
429

Hofstadter and
117
–
18
,
138

emptiness of
122

Rees, Martin
60
,
196
,
206
,
208
,
461

Our Final Century
196
–
7
,
201
,
202
,
204
–
5

regress, infinite
174
–
5
,
178
,
190
,
194
,
226
,
341

Reign of Terror
66

relativism
15
,
314

cultural
314
,
356

relativity

Einstein’s theory of
198
,
199
,
255
,
256
,
312

Einstein’s general theory of
29
,
61
,
107
,
312
,
315

and the problem of quantum gravity
298
,
449
–
50

religions
80
,
81
,
82
,
189
,
359
,
418
,
457

memes and
93
,
218
369
,
370
,
373
,
377
,
378
–
9
,
384
,
391

religious objections to study of infinity
166

Renaissance
218
,
220
,
366
,
385
,
429

repetition
5
,
7
,
8
,
20
,
24
,
30
,
83

see also
inductivism

replicators
93
,
105
,
114
,
143
–
4

abstract
95
,
114
,
266
–
7
,
369
,
406

knowledge as a replicator
95
,
114
,
266
–
7

see also
genes
;
memes

representative government
316

apportionment paradoxes
326
–
33

Arrow’s theorem and the principle of
336
–
8

changes in conception of
351

for non-voters
329

proportional representation
326
–
33
,
339
,
346
,
347
–
8

resonance (chemistry)
301
–
2

resources
35
,
52
,
56
–
7
,
59
,
62
,
66
,
67
,
202
–
3
,
213
,
425
,
429
,
439

Ehrlich’s pessimism over
431
–
2

management of
423
,
432
,
434
–
6

population and
48
–
9
,
205
–
6

and sustainability
421
–
3
,
431
–
2

revolution, scientific
vii
,
12
,
14
,
23
,
32
,
53

RNA
142
–
4
376

robots
36
,
57
–
8
,
60
,
101
,
151
,
196
,
203

and artificial evolution
158
–
62

see also
automation

Roma Eterna
(Silverberg)
259

Roman numerals
128
–
30

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques
390

Royal Society
13
,
281
n,
457
,
460
,
461

rules of thumb
4
,
14
,
16
,
19
,
28
,
29
,
31
,
35
,
55
,
72
,
94
,
111
,
154
,
208
,
316
,
422
,
445

and explanations
16
,
28
,
29
,
94
,
114
,
315
,
449

mistaken for universal laws
44
,
94
;
see also
parochialism

in quantum theory
307
–
8

testing
14
,
35

see also
explanationless theories

Russian roulette
197
,
206

Rutherford, Ernest
1
,
13
–
14

Savonarola, Girolamo
219
,
221
,
429

Schopenhauer, Arthur
200

Schrödinger, Erwin
255
,
306
,
310

equation
306
,
307
,
310

Sciama, Dennis
99
–
101

science
see
explanations

science fiction
97
,
137
,
202
–
3
,
258
,
259
,
262
,
264
,
268
,
299
,
302
,
372
,
443

scientific instruments
see
measuring instruments

scientific revolution
vii
,
12
,
14
,
23
,
32
,
53

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

scurvy
57

sea-level rises
437
–
40

Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence
see
SETI

Searle, John
138

seasons

mythical explanations of
19
–
21
,
24
,
25

scientific explanation of
23
–
5
,
26
–
9
,
44
,
68
,
458

self-awareness
154

self-expression
366
–
7

sense organs
10
,
144
,
159

sensory experience
4
,
9
,
32
,
39
,
227
–
9
,
240
–
2
,
252
–
3

deceptiveness of the senses
8

see also
eyes
;
qualia

SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)
72
–
3
,
179
–
80

sexual reproduction
372
,
375

mating
90
,
91
,
359
,
360
,
362
,
401
,
402
,
413

sexual selection
91
–
2
,
360
,
362
,
365
,
401
,
415

Shaffer, Peter:
Amadeus
353

shut-up-and-calculate interpretation of quantum theory
307
–
8

significance
vii-viii
,
43
.
75
–
6
,
123
,
124
,
146
,
229
,
458

Silverberg, Robert:
Roma Aeterna
259

simplicity
5
,
25
,
26
,
126
,
135
,
353

and complexity
104
,
107
–
8
,
160
,
186
–
7
,
190
,
195

The Simpsons
259
–
60

simulation argument
453
–
5

Singularity, the
456
–
7

singularities
173
,
175
,
194
,
450
–
51

naked
175

see also
Big Bang
;
black holes

slavery
92
,
120
,
130
,
134
,
218
,
243
,
244
,
246
,
248
,
318
,
319
,
329
,
350

to genes
92
,
371
,
383
,
384

to memes
130
,
383
,
384
,
392

Sliding Doors
259
,
269

Smolin, Lee
178
–
9

social-choice theory
see under
choice

societies

dynamic
387
–
90
,
396
;
see also
Enlightenment
;
memes, rational

of Easter Island
418
,
419
–
23

open
216
,
460

pre-human
400
,
412
–
13
,
414

static
247
,
249
,
379
–
87
,
396
,
413
–
14
,
416
,
420
–
23
,
428
,
430
,
435
;
see also
memes: anti-rational

see also
civilization

Socrates
83
–
4
,
216
,
447

Socratic problem
254

story of a dream of
223
–
54

Socratic method
245

Soddy, Frederck
1
,
13
–
14

software
see
computer programs

solubility of problems
see
problems are soluble

sophists
236
,
248

Sophocles
216

Soviet ideology
428

space

Euclidean
164
,
183
,
184
,
188

intergalactic
47
,
48
,
66
–
9
,
71
–
2
,
74

stations
66
–
7
,
69
,
398

see also
spacetime

Spaceship Earth
44
–
5
,
48
–
51
,
52
,
53
–
4
,
61
,
64
,
69
,
76
,
167

and blind pessimism
203

Easter Island and the metaphor of
421
–
3

spacetime
43
,
170

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

Sparta
218
,
221
,
429

and ‘a dream of Socrates’
224
,
230
–
3
,
235
,
242
,
244
–
51

speculation
240
,
262
–
4
,
292
,
458

Spencer, Herbert
91

spheres of differentiation
see
waves of differentiation

splitting

of histories
273
–
5
,
276
–
9
,
285
–
8
,
293
–
4
;
see also
histories (sequences of events in a multiverse)

of scientific theories
315
–
16

spontaneous generation
81
–
3
,
85
,
87
,
88
,
96
,
103
,
105

Standage, Tom
137

Star Trek
258

stars and solar systems
1
–
2
,
8
,
28
,
29
,
17
,
35
,
47
,
63
,
101
,
203
,
373

neutron stars
97
,
290

see also
supernovae

stasis
see
societies, static

The State of the Planet
(Attenborough)
419
,
421

statues

of Ares outside Sparta
248

of Churchill outside Parliament
109

on Easter Island
418
,
419
–
20
,
421
,
422
,
430
,
435

of Justice
340

Sterling, Bruce
137

strata
293

structuralism
314

subcultures
220
,
393
,
395

suffering, problem of
80

sun, the
1
,
5
,
8
,
14
,
23
–
4
,
44
,
47
,
50
,
74
,
84
,
112
,
113
,
203
,
208
,
228
,
275
,
366
,
420
,
445