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Chapter 13 explores the relationship between scientific progress and the increasing complexity and cost of acquiring knowledge, introducing the Law of Logarithmic Returns which states that scientific knowledge grows only as the logarithm of the volume of information due to significant information being obscured by insignificant data. The chapter also critically examines the methodological preference for simplicity in scientific theories, arguing that this preference is grounded in rational economy and cognitive efficiency rather than any ontological claim about the simplicity of nature itself.

This chapter explores the dynamics of scientific progress through the lens of the exploration model of inquiry, emphasizing the increasing demand for data enhancement and the technological escalation in scientific endeavors. It discusses the inductive nature of theorizing, the principle of least effort guiding simplicity preference, and the complexification and expansion of natural science, while addressing the deceleration of progress and the imperfectability of knowledge as an idealized concept. The chapter also highlights the conditions and limitations of perfected science, framing it as a useful contrast rather than an attainable endpoint.