The Farthest Reaches

Why People Are the Most Important Entities in the Universe

By: Brett Hall

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

In a universe filled with violent supernovae, an untold number of species, and black holes far larger than the Earth, can people really be more significant than all of them in the grand scheme of things? If so, what is it about people that grants them such privileged status?

In The Farthest Reaches, educator Brett Hall expounds on the concept of explanatory universality, as first explained by physicist and philosopher David Deutsch in his book, The Beginning of Infinity. It is this characteristic that grants people their primacy in the cosmos. This ability to explain anything that can be explained, to understand anything that can be understood, is more significant than a star’s titanic gravitational pull, a gene’s ability to replicate itself, or a computer’s ability to execute calculations at the speed of electrons.

Beyond explaining this idea, Brett applies the concept of explanatory universality to a number of contentious debates in society, such as: school, IQ, multiculturalism, mental illness, evolutionary psychology, immigration, and many more. Such is the beauty of a deep idea: it has surprising, counterintuitive, and beautiful implications for seemingly faraway areas of life and the world at large.

The Farthest Reaches is an expansion of Brett’s podcast series of the same name.

Discover more of Brett’s work: https://www.bretthall.org/.

Note: The ideas that Brett writes about in The Farthest Reaches are not grounded in religion or mysticism, nor are they a matter of self-help. Rather, the ideas in this book follow from our deepest theories in computer science, physics, and epistemology.


About the author: Brett began work as a science communicator for The University of New South Wales, where he studied physics and philosophy. He gained postgraduate qualifications in education and mathematics, and ultimately a Master of Science in Astronomy specialising in Computational Astrophysics. He taught physics, mathematics, and science before becoming a technical advisor and communicator of the ideas of David Deutsch and Karl Popper. He has appeared in public discussions with David Deutsch, Naval Ravikant, Peter Boghossian, Yaron Brook, Bret Weinstein, Michael Shermer, and others, and he has been a guest on numerous other podcasts. He is also a public speaker and debater interested in the philosophy of physics, epistemology, and current trends in and approaches to artificial intelligence. Brett now lives in Sydney with his partner Jeremy and contemplates leaving the country as it slowly slides into authoritarianism.

About the publisher: Conjecture Institute is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading and applying humanity’s deepest ideas. We focus on applying critical rationalism to various domains including physics, artificial general intelligence, Taking Children Seriously, aesthetics, and economics. Through research, publications, media products, and in-person events, we work to dissolve barriers to progress and foster a deeper understanding of how knowledge grows.