Book · 2013 · Philosophy
The Half-Life of Facts
Why Everything We Know Has an Expiration Date
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- podcasts
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There's a great book called The Half-Life of Facts by Sam Arbisman. And he talks about how like at any given time 50% of you know received knowledge like our our physical model of the universe is wrong.
The best things said about it
By the way, before I answer that question, there is a book called The Half-Life of Facts. Mhm. Half-Life of Facts by Samuel Arbesman.
There's a great book uh this guy wrote called the half-life of facts.
Marc Andreessen The Ben & Marc Show · May 2025 Where and when it comes up
Most mentions, by podcast
Why people recommend it
The Half-Life of Facts by Samuel Arbesman is a non-fiction book that explores how scientific knowledge, facts, and physical models decay or evolve over time much like radioactive isotopes. Jesse Michels strongly recommended the book on The Joe Rogan Experience and later discussed it on Modern Wisdom, using its core premise to explain that a significant portion of received knowledge and physical models of the universe are ultimately wrong or subject to revision as new data emerges. Maurice Ashley brought up the work on The Tim Ferriss Show to illustrate the shifting nature of human knowledge across various domains. Marc Andreessen introduced the book during an episode of The Ben & Marc Show, referencing its exploration of how established facts degrade and change over time. Across these podcast appearances, the speakers utilized Arbesman's insights to emphasize intellectual humility and the necessity of constantly updating our understanding of reality in light of accelerating scientific and technological advancements.
Every mention
Jesse Michels there's a great book called The Half-Life of Facts by Sam Arbisman. And he talks about how like at any give… 2
“There's a great book by a guy named Sam Arbisman called The Half-Life of Facts where he talks about facts themselves as kind of being similar to like radioactive isotope decay. Like they have a decay function. Our physical models of reality are always wrong.”
“there's a great book called The Half-Life of Facts by Sam Arbisman. And he talks about how like at any given time 50% of you know received knowledge like our our physical model of the universe is wrong.”
Maurice Ashley By the way, before I answer that question, there is a book called The Half-Life of Facts. Mhm. Half-Life of… 1
“By the way, before I answer that question, there is a book called The Half-Life of Facts. Mhm. Half-Life of Facts by Samuel Arbesman.”
Marc Andreessen There's a great book uh this guy wrote called the half-life of facts. 1
“There's a great book uh this guy wrote called the half-life of facts.”
