Reality might be best understood as a multiverse, where quantum physics, evolution, theory of computation, and Popperian epistemology intertwine to explain knowledge, life, and progress.
Book: The Fabric of Reality
Theoretical physicist and the "maximum philosopher of freedom", David Deutsch, proposes that reality is not one thread but a fabric woven from four strands:
- Quantum physics shows that every event branches into parallel universes (Hugh Everett's many-worlds interpretation) instead of collapsing into one outcome.
- Epistemology following Karl Popper's philosophy argues that knowledge grows not by accumulating certainty, but through bold guesses tested against criticism. Error elimination is the engine of progress.
- The theory of computation from Alan Turing shows the limits and possibilities of what can be simulated. Deutsch further argues that information and computation are not just human inventions but fundamental aspects of the universe. The universe itself can be understood as a form of computation.
- Darwinian evolution explains how complexity and adaptation emerge across not just biology, but also knowledge, culture, and science, through variation and natural selection.
Taken together, these strands form the multiverse interpretation of reality.
Deutsch insists that parallel universes are not speculation but necessary for quantum mechanics to make sense. The universe itself can be understood as a vast computation, and a universal quantum computer could, in principle, model any physical process.
Two related notes: Deutsch and Popper on Knowledge and The Beginning of Infinity.