The Unfinished Game | Keith Devlin | Talks at Google

TL;DR

Dr. Keith Devlin discusses the three revolutions in human history that have changed the way people perceive and predict the future.

Transcript

hi everyone welcome to today's authors at Google event following the talk we will have a Q&A session and I'd like to ask you to remember our remote audience and use the microphone which will be this one when you're asking a question today i'me pleased to introduce Dr Keith delin Keith is a world economic Forum fellow and a fellow of the American As... Read More

Key Insights

• 👻 Mortgages rely on the ability to predict the future with numerical accuracy, allowing lenders to assess risks and make informed decisions.
• #️⃣ The invention of numbers and arithmetic revolutionized commerce, enabling more sophisticated trading and accounting systems.
• 🏑 The application of probability theory to predicting the future was initially met with skepticism but eventually revolutionized various fields, including risk management and science.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did mortgages become common despite the risks involved in lending money?

Mortgages became possible due to the ability to predict the future with numbers, allowing lenders to assess risks and determine interest rates based on the borrower's creditworthiness.

Q: How did mathematicians struggle to understand the application of probability theory to predicting the future?

Pascal and Fermat had difficulties accepting that mathematics could be applied to predicting the future because it involved scenarios that had not yet unfolded. They had to grasp the concept that probabilities could be calculated based on all possible outcomes.

Q: How did numbers and arithmetic revolutionize commerce and everyday life?

The invention of numbers allowed for a more sophisticated system of trading and accounting, while arithmetic enabled people to calculate and measure quantities accurately. This revolutionized everyday tasks and commerce, making them more efficient and precise.

Q: How did the development of mathematics change the way people perceive the world?

Mathematics, particularly through the application of arithmetic and probability theory, provided people with a framework to understand and predict the future. This changed the way they made decisions, managed risks, and viewed everyday life.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Dr. Keith Devlin explains how mortgages and lending rely on the ability to predict the future with numerical accuracy.

• He discusses the three revolutions in mathematics that have changed the way people perceive and understand the world: the invention of numbers, the development of arithmetic, and the application of probability theory.

• Devlin explores the challenges and breakthroughs faced by mathematicians in using numbers to predict the future and how this has revolutionized various fields such as commerce, science, and risk management.