WARNING: The following post is link-ridden for the ease of further inquiry by the curious. If inquiry is offensive to you, turn back before it's too late!
Some years ago, the work of my now favorite living theoretical physicist was the subject of an article. I wish I knew the periodical in which it was published, but the important thing was this -- for me, the explanation that was offered put the weirdness of quantum behavior into a perspective that seemed plausible.
That physicist was David Deutsch, and the theory he was working with is known as the "Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics" (or sometimes the "Everett-DeWitt Interpretation", as it was based on their work).
Without getting mired in technical detail about things on the quantum level, you've probably seen some sci-fi piece about parallel universes at some time or another, or read something in the growing genre of alternate histories -- the classic Godfather of both genres probably being Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder" -- which shows the impact of a seemingly small event (from whence may have emerged the term "The Butterfly Effect". ...and after which a fantasy movie exploring a man's ability to change the past to effect the future, was named).
Well, a couple of weeks ago at the Many Worlds at 50 Conference, Deutsch's latest work, along with that of contributors Wallace and Saunders, was presented and made some ripples, if not a splash, in the world of theoretical physics. Once shied from, Many-Worlds increases in popularity, and may soon become the dominant interpretation of quantum mechanics, overcoming The Copenhagen Interpretation.
Many-Worlds has long been in alignment with my assessment of things. What intrigues me, though, were the ethicists who had their thoughts on how this might change things if it's eventually demonstrated to be true.
One proposed a auto accident near-miss that could have been disastrous. Seeing as how it was a near-miss, should one feel more thankful that no one got hurt here, or feel mournful, knowing that in many parallel universes probability dictates that several people died?
As I recall, an interviewer (for Discover magazine -- I think) a while back spoke to Deutsch who said he'd had heightened reservations about driving, given the probability of accident and the ethics of causing injury and death not only in this world but perhaps countless others stemming simply from his decision to drive that particular day.
I personally think those sorts of questions and concerns are mostly kerfuffle for reasons I'll explain later, but I'd like to hear what you all think about them. Eminent ethicists think these are important questions to ask, so someone must think they're worthwhile...
Some years ago, the work of my now favorite living theoretical physicist was the subject of an article. I wish I knew the periodical in which it was published, but the important thing was this -- for me, the explanation that was offered put the weirdness of quantum behavior into a perspective that seemed plausible.
That physicist was David Deutsch, and the theory he was working with is known as the "Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics" (or sometimes the "Everett-DeWitt Interpretation", as it was based on their work).
Without getting mired in technical detail about things on the quantum level, you've probably seen some sci-fi piece about parallel universes at some time or another, or read something in the growing genre of alternate histories -- the classic Godfather of both genres probably being Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder" -- which shows the impact of a seemingly small event (from whence may have emerged the term "The Butterfly Effect". ...and after which a fantasy movie exploring a man's ability to change the past to effect the future, was named).
Well, a couple of weeks ago at the Many Worlds at 50 Conference, Deutsch's latest work, along with that of contributors Wallace and Saunders, was presented and made some ripples, if not a splash, in the world of theoretical physics. Once shied from, Many-Worlds increases in popularity, and may soon become the dominant interpretation of quantum mechanics, overcoming The Copenhagen Interpretation.
Many-Worlds has long been in alignment with my assessment of things. What intrigues me, though, were the ethicists who had their thoughts on how this might change things if it's eventually demonstrated to be true.
One proposed a auto accident near-miss that could have been disastrous. Seeing as how it was a near-miss, should one feel more thankful that no one got hurt here, or feel mournful, knowing that in many parallel universes probability dictates that several people died?
As I recall, an interviewer (for Discover magazine -- I think) a while back spoke to Deutsch who said he'd had heightened reservations about driving, given the probability of accident and the ethics of causing injury and death not only in this world but perhaps countless others stemming simply from his decision to drive that particular day.
I personally think those sorts of questions and concerns are mostly kerfuffle for reasons I'll explain later, but I'd like to hear what you all think about them. Eminent ethicists think these are important questions to ask, so someone must think they're worthwhile...
