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Samuel Beckett Today / Aujourd’hui

Distinguishing the multiverse from an echo: Quantum Mechanics and

Donald Spector

Published Dec 1, 2008• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

can be understood as a play about the tension between two views of reality, embodied in the Copenhagen and Many Worlds Interpretations of quantum mechanics. To Didi and the audience, the second act seems to be an echo of the first, but an echo implies an original and a copy. In fact, the two acts are on an equal footing, representing parallel versions of the selfsame day. Ultimately, emerges as an exploration of the existential conflict that arises when an adherent of the Copenhagen Interpretation is confronted with a Many Worlds universe.

DOI
10.1163/18757405-020001020

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can be understood as a play about the tension between two views of reality, embodied in the Copenhagen and Many Worlds Interpretations of quantum mechanics. To Didi and the audience, the second act seems to be an echo of the first, but an echo implies an original and a copy. In fact, the two acts are on an equal footing, representing parallel versions of the selfsame day. Ultimately, emerges as an exploration of the existential conflict that arises when an adherent of the Copenhagen Interpretation is confronted with a Many Worlds universe.
Quantum Mechanics notoriously faces a measurement problem, the problem that the unitary time evolution, encoded in its dynamical equations, together with the kinematical structure of the theory generally implies the non-existence \nof definite measurement outcomes. There have been multiple suggestions to solve this problem, among them the so called many worlds interpretation that originated with the work of Hugh Everett III. According to it, the quantum state and time evolution fully and accurately describe nature as it is, implying that under certain conditions multiple measurement outcomes that are seemingly mutually exclusive can be realized at the same time – but as different 'worlds' contained in a global, quantum mechanical structure, sometimes referred to as 'the multiverse'. The many worlds interpretation has, however, been confronted with serious difficulties over the course of its development, some of which were solved by the advent of decoherence theory. The present thesis critically investi- \ngates the state of play on a key remaining problem of the many worlds interpretation, the problem of the meaning and quantification of probabilities in a quantum multiverse. Recent attempts of deriving the pivotal statistical ingredient of quantum mechanics, Born’s rule, from either principles of decision theory or from quantum mechanics alone, supplemented with a few general premises about \nprobability are analyzed and their premises are scrutinized. It will be argued that, though both approaches yield promising results, they both ultimately fail \nto clearly establish the validity of Born’s rule in the context of the many worlds interpretation. It is hence suggested that further research on this problem is indicated.
This paper examines the intersection of Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Lathe of Heaven and the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, reimagining reality-changing dreams as shifts between preexisting parallel worlds. By framing Le Guin's philosophical debate between Taoism and Utilitarianism in terms of the Copenhagen and many-worlds interpretations, the paper investigates profound questions about identity, human control, and the nature of reality. In addition, this perspective connects Le Guin's narrative to modern quantum theories and thought experiments like quantum suicide and offers fresh insights into the quantum measurement problem and the implications of wavefunction collapse. Ultimately, this paper shows how The Lathe of Heaven bridges science fiction, physics, and philosophy, presenting a compelling framework for understanding humanity's existence and its place in an interconnected multiverse.