Biography
David Deutsch (Haifa, 1953) is a British theoretical physicist and visiting professor at the University of Oxford. He is one of the pioneers of quantum computation theory and has investigated the foundations of quantum mechanics, information and the physical conditions that make the processing of knowledge possible.
His research helped establish the concept of a universal quantum computer. His thinking develops connections between the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, computation theory and Karl Popper's epistemology. He also works on constructor theory, a programme intended to formulate physical laws in terms of which transformations are possible or impossible.
In The Fabric of Reality (1997), he developed a unifying proposal concerning physics, knowledge, evolution and computation. In The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World (2011), he examined the role of explanations and criticism in the progress of knowledge. His work brings together fundamental physics and philosophy of science from a perspective strongly focused on the problem of explanation.
Profiles and references
Published books