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The Infinite Alphabet

And the Laws of Knowledge
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Brief Description
A world-leading scholar reveals how knowledge moves, grows, and drives progress We all understand that knowledge shapes the fate of business and the growth of nations, but few of us are aware of the principles that govern its motion. The Infinite Alphabet unravels the laws describing... Read More
Format: Hardback
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The Infinite Alphabet

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
A world-leading scholar reveals how knowledge moves, grows, and drives progress We all understand that knowledge shapes the fate of business and the growth of nations, but few of us are aware of the principles that govern its motion. The Infinite Alphabet unravels the laws describing the growth and diffusion of knowledge by taking you from a failed attempt to build a city of knowledge in Ecuador to the growth of China's innovation economy. Through dozens of stories, you will learn why aircraft manufacturers in Italy began manufacturing scooters after the Second World War and how migrants like Samuel Slater shaped the industrial fabric of the United States. Knowledge is the secret to the wealth of nations. But to understand it, we must accept that it is not a single thing, but an ever-growing tapestry of unique ideas, experiences and received wisdom. An Infinite Alphabet that we are only beginning to fathom. Cesar A. Hidalgo, a world-renowned scholar for his work on economic complexity, will walk you through the \"three laws\" and the many principles that govern how knowledge grows, moves, and decays. By the end of this journey, you will understand why knowledge grows exponentially in the electronics industry and what mechanisms govern its diffusion across geographic borders, social networks, and professional boundaries. Together these principles will teach you how knowledge shapes the world.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241655672

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 06 November 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Allen Lane

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 160.0mm

Height: 241.0mm

Weight: 448g

Pages: 256

About the Author

Cesar A. Hidalgo is a physicist, professor, and author known for pioneering work in economic complexity, data visualization, and applied artificial intelligence. For nine years he led MIT's Collective Learning Group before moving to France to found the Center for Collective Learning (CCL), an international research laboratory with offices at the Toulouse School of Economics and Corvinus University of Budapest. Author of Why Information Grows (Allen Lane, 2015) and co-author of The Atlas of Economic Complexity and How Humans Judge Machines (MIT, 2014, 2021), he was the sole recipient of the 2018 Lagrange Prize recognizing excellence and innovation in the study of complex systems. Hidalgo is the author of more than sixty peer-reviewed publications that have been cited by tens of thousands of studies. His TED talk on augmented democracy has been viewed over two million times.

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