David Deutsch

Problems are inevitable, but problems are soluble.

Anything that is not forbidden by the laws of nature is achievable, given the right knowledge.

We are subject only to the laws of physics, and not to any lesser laws.

The reach of explanations cannot be limited by the reach of our senses.

Every putative physical transformation that is not forbidden by laws of nature can be achieved, given the right knowledge.

The beginning of infinity is the ability to create explanations that have unlimited reach.

Optimism is the theory that all failures are due to insufficient knowledge.

Explanations are not justified by their origin, but by how hard they are to vary while still accounting for what they purport to account for.

Fallibilism is the recognition that we may be mistaken in our beliefs, expectations, and knowledge.

The search for good explanations drives progress.

The physical world is not just a passive stage on which events play out, but is shaped by the explanations that have been discovered.

The ability to make progress is itself an emergent phenomenon.