On the Quest for Computable Knowledge

by Stephen Wolfram

Arithmetic (~20000 BC) Counting abstract objects The invention of arithmetic provided a way to compute abstractly about numbers of objects. Written language (~4000 BC) A systematic way to record knowledge A central event in the emergence of civilization, written language provided a systematic way to record and transmit knowledge. Babylonian census (3800 BC) Taking stock of a kingdom The Babylonian census began the practice of systematically counting and recording people and commodities, for taxation and other purposes. Babylonian astronomy (~500 BC) Using arithmetic to predict the heavens The Babylonians introduced mathematical calculation as a way to find the behavior of planets and a few other systems in nature. Pythagoras (~500 BC) Numbers are the key to nature The Pythagoreans promoted the idea that numbers could be used to systematically understand and compute aspects of nature, music, and the world. Panini (~400 BC) Finding the rules of human language Panini created a grammar for Sanskrit, forming the basis for systematic linguistics. Aristotle (~350 BC) Classifying the world, and introducing logic Aristotle tried to systematize knowledge, first by classifying objects in the world, and second, by inventing the idea of logic as a way to formalize human reasoning. Library of Alexandria (~300 BC) Collecting the world’s knowledge The Library of Alexandria collected perhaps half a million scrolls, with works covering all areas of knowledge. Archimedes (~200 BC) Computing ...