ToKCast Ep 260: I don't believe it!
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Apr 5, 2026 A deep dive into whether 'belief' belongs in epistemology and how it differs from knowledge. Discussion of Popperian critical rationalism and Deutsch's idea that knowledge is information with causal power. Examples from science, religion, and everyday decision-making illustrate how explanations drive action. A focus on error correction, dogma, and why emotional certainty is epistemically irrelevant.
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Knowledge Is Information With Causal Power
- David Deutsch's definition frames knowledge as "information with causal power," focusing on information that actually causes events.
- Brett Hall uses an astronomer finding a new pixel and genes encoding wings to show knowledge acts by triggering downstream actions.
How One Pixel Becomes Worldwide Scientific Action
- An astronomer's AI flags a new speck in months of sky images and that single detection triggers global monitoring and action.
- Hall uses this concrete chain from image to task force to illustrate a single datum becoming causally powerful knowledge.
Knowledge As A Physical, Criticisable Entity
- Popperian epistemology treats knowledge as physical patterns instantiated in substrates (brains, genes, devices) amenable to criticism and improvement.
- Brett Hall connects Einstein's written notes to global causal consequences (GPS, rockets) as examples of instantiated knowledge.
