What We've Learned from NKS Chapter 1: The Foundations of a New Kind of Science
In this episode of "What We've Learned from NKS", Stephen Wolfram is counting down to the 20th anniversary of A New Kind of Science with [another] chapter retrospective. If you'd like to contribute to the discussion in future episodes, you can participate through this YouTube channel or through the official Twitch channel of Stephen Wolfram here: https://www.twitch.tv/stephen_wolfram/
Read all of NKS here: https://www.wolframscience.com/nks/
0:00 Start stream
0:15 SW goes live
14:38 Physics Project, role and place of mathematics in the structure of science
24:15 Chapter 9 is a special one
56:30 NKS is not computer science
1:01:35 Talk about AI
1:07:00 Two key ideas: metamodeling & ruliology
1:26:00 PontiusPirate: How has the last sentence held up since NKS was written?
1:31:40 After 20 years of development, and 20 years of reflection is there anything you would fine tune in the new edition?
1:40:05 Is there a formal notation system for the Ruliad, how are these simple programs represented?
1:40:55 Can you speak to transitioning the title of the book from it's original title?
1:48:00 Stephen shares scrapbook photos
1:50:12 Why is mathematics so effective for natural science? Is it because reality is fundamentally mathematical? (An idea along the lines of Max Tegmark) Or is it simply that we know mathematical objects so intimately that it serves best for us to understand/model reality? (A Platonistic insight)
1:54:45 Do you think that widely recognized term " theory of everything" overlap with your ideas?
1:56:45 What mathematical fields should one know/study to do research on specific Elementary Automaton rules and their behavior?
1:57:40 Can you think of any particular criticisms of the book that have been demolished in the interceding years?
2:05:50 Hypothetically if someone used the tools you developed and found a fundamental Theory of Physics, how would you feel? Excited? Disappointed? Thoughts?
2:10:15 How did/will NKS influence analog computing?
2:10:50 Who was your greatest influence or source of inspiration? What's your opinion of Benoit Mandelbrot's work?
2:20:14 Is deduction or induction more important in NKS? In what proportions?
2:21:40 Will you eventually continue trying to write fiction?
2:25:47 How do the ideas of NKS relate to Max Tegmark's "Our Mathematical Universe" idea?
2:26:23 Will neural networks and AI eventually tell you whether you're right or wrong about your computational universe theory?
2:28:37 What do you think about the book "A Nonlinear Dynamics Perspective of Wolfram's New Kind of Science"?
2:31:15 About the beautiful design of NKS: you mentioned you spent a lot of time on layout and formatting. Did you personally do layout? What program did you use to design the book (LaTeX/\[Ellipsis]?). Just wondering since so few technically sophisticated books are that well designed. Where do you think your aesthetic sense came from?
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Follow Stephen Wolfram's life, interests, and what makes him tick on his blog: https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/
Read all of NKS here: https://www.wolframscience.com/nks/
0:00 Start stream
0:15 SW goes live
14:38 Physics Project, role and place of mathematics in the structure of science
24:15 Chapter 9 is a special one
56:30 NKS is not computer science
1:01:35 Talk about AI
1:07:00 Two key ideas: metamodeling & ruliology
1:26:00 PontiusPirate: How has the last sentence held up since NKS was written?
1:31:40 After 20 years of development, and 20 years of reflection is there anything you would fine tune in the new edition?
1:40:05 Is there a formal notation system for the Ruliad, how are these simple programs represented?
1:40:55 Can you speak to transitioning the title of the book from it's original title?
1:48:00 Stephen shares scrapbook photos
1:50:12 Why is mathematics so effective for natural science? Is it because reality is fundamentally mathematical? (An idea along the lines of Max Tegmark) Or is it simply that we know mathematical objects so intimately that it serves best for us to understand/model reality? (A Platonistic insight)
1:54:45 Do you think that widely recognized term " theory of everything" overlap with your ideas?
1:56:45 What mathematical fields should one know/study to do research on specific Elementary Automaton rules and their behavior?
1:57:40 Can you think of any particular criticisms of the book that have been demolished in the interceding years?
2:05:50 Hypothetically if someone used the tools you developed and found a fundamental Theory of Physics, how would you feel? Excited? Disappointed? Thoughts?
2:10:15 How did/will NKS influence analog computing?
2:10:50 Who was your greatest influence or source of inspiration? What's your opinion of Benoit Mandelbrot's work?
2:20:14 Is deduction or induction more important in NKS? In what proportions?
2:21:40 Will you eventually continue trying to write fiction?
2:25:47 How do the ideas of NKS relate to Max Tegmark's "Our Mathematical Universe" idea?
2:26:23 Will neural networks and AI eventually tell you whether you're right or wrong about your computational universe theory?
2:28:37 What do you think about the book "A Nonlinear Dynamics Perspective of Wolfram's New Kind of Science"?
2:31:15 About the beautiful design of NKS: you mentioned you spent a lot of time on layout and formatting. Did you personally do layout? What program did you use to design the book (LaTeX/\[Ellipsis]?). Just wondering since so few technically sophisticated books are that well designed. Where do you think your aesthetic sense came from?
Follow us on our official social media channels.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WolframResearch
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wolframresearch
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wolframresearch/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wolfram-research/
Contribute to the official Wolfram Community: https://community.wolfram.com
Stay up-to-date on the latest interest at Wolfram Research through our blog: https://blog.wolfram.com
Follow Stephen Wolfram's life, interests, and what makes him tick on his blog: https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/
