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Description
What is time? What is consciousness? Why does the universe exist? Decades of foundational work in science and technology have led Stephen Wolfram to tackle some of humanity's oldest philosophical questions—and to argue that it is now possible to arrive at answers long thought beyond the reach of meaningful progress. These lively and engaging essays cover topics from timeless philosophical questions to artificial intelligence and the future of the human condition. Along the way, Wolfram makes a host of complex ideas understandable while challenging readers to rethink long-held assumptions. The book takes a fresh look at foundational concepts such as time, motion, free will, the nature of minds, mathematical truth—and what ultimately is there—all from new perspectives opened by recent advances in basic science. ContentsPreface ⋅ What Ultimately Is There? Metaphysics and the Ruliad ⋅ The Concept of the Ruliad ⋅ Observer Theory ⋅ What Is Consciousness? ⋅ On the Nature of Time ⋅ On the Concept of Motion ⋅ Why Does the Universe Exist? ⋅ The Phenomenon of Free Will ⋅ The Principle of Computational Equivalence ⋅ Computational Irreducibility ⋅ The Computational Worldview ⋅ Mathematics and Physics Have the Same Foundations ⋅ What Can Human Mathematics Be Like? ⋅ Is Mathematics Invented or Discovered? ⋅ What Is Mathematics? Some Historical Perspectives ⋅ The Notion of Mathematical Truth ⋅ How Inevitable Is the Concept of Numbers? ⋅ Intelligence in the Universe ⋅ The Problem of Universal Communication ⋅ Alien Intelligence and the Concept of Technology ⋅ AI and the Mental Imagery of Alien Minds ⋅ Imagining Minds beyond Ours ⋅ AI and the Future of the Human Condition ⋅ Index Related Topics Physics, Social Sciences |
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