David Deutsch on Optimism
Royal Society of Arts2 HN recommenders · recommended in 2 months, 2018–2022
talk · general · evergreen · 2018–2022 on HN
An excerpt from an RSA event in which physicist David Deutsch makes the case for optimism as a driver of progress in the 21st century. It is a short highlight of a longer discussion.
Pointed to as an antidote to pessimism about the future, tied to Deutsch's ideas in The Beginning of Infinity.
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4 comments from Hacker News
I encourage everyone pessimistic about our future to learn about David Deutsch's infinite optimism: ▶ this video
You need to read “The Beginning of Infinity” by David Deutsch. It will help clear up all the muddled thinking I see going on when I read those lines of yours. Edit: You can also go here and watch this: ▶ this video I still recommend the book though.
Say we were to crash potentially earth-destroying asteroids into the moon and then offer free mining rights to companies on a first-to-get-there basis. I think we would still hear a a cacophony of moral objections. A spirit of pessimism seems to be hanging over us these days: ▶ this video
>Of course, we know that today the Luddites are not viewed particularly kindly On the contrary, it is technology and progress that are viewed with scepticism -- watch almost any recent sci-fi movie. ▶ this video