A Unity of Knowledge

  In Chapter 1 of "The Infinite Alphabet: And the Laws of Knowledge " , César A. Hidalgo introduces the central thesis that knowledge is not a fungible commodity like money or labor, but a highly specific, non-interchangeable "alphabet" that governs the wealth of nations. He begins by distinguishing between "knowledge about things" (information) and "knowledge of how to do things" (know-how). While the former can be easily digitized and shared, the latter is deeply embedded in human brains and social networks. Hidalgo illustrates this through the " Law of Time ," specifically invoking Thurstone’s Law to explain learning curves. He describes how individual and team knowledge grows as a power function—rising sharply at first but eventually hitting a "carrying capacity" where it flattens out. However, he contrasts this individual limitation with the collective behavior of society, where Moore’s Law allows for exponential gro...