Multiverse/Many Worlds Theory and Free Will

[Ben_Sinner]

I have a question…

How does the multiverse/many worlds theories co-exist with free will?

Isn’t that the theory where alledgedly everytime we make a decision, a new universe is created with the replica of that person doing the exact opposite…?

so wouldn’t that mean that those people wouldn’t have free will because their actions are based on what we choose to do since they will have to do the opposite of what we do?..or possibly our actions are based on what they do since we have to do the opposite of what they do…

this theory is really scary!

 

[wanabesaint]

No, it is really scary you can be this superstitious, and ignorant.

For your an example why the Catholic church came to start schools, the Universal church said that the people need to come out of darkness (word education means exit from darkness) and know thier is one God that is beyound our comprehesion Universities were started… but to not be of a superstitious nature as you biteon

maybe more so this is what Jesus ment by, away from me satan…

Maybe this is a good place to point out the ignorance to accpetance to evil in the US, that is so predominate… History books written a hundred years ago, compared the Christian Churchs of Europe, to that of the Islamic religons of the other regions.
Christain religions have a huge “tolerance” to alcohol, gambleing(insurance), prostitution,
and civil evils. Islamic does not have a tolerance to such.
and for that Europe and Russia, has fallen into ruin, Russia addiction to alcohol today is common knowledge, gambling (insurance and borrowing of money) has ruined the US civilization, along with todays drug tollerance, prostitution, and excess living.)

So to quote the History books of the past, the US as a civilization is on the path to hell in minds of superstition as you represent and tollerance to evil.

stupid does, as stupid is…is the blunt reality. To follow Jesus on the other hand, is to shake off ignorance and superstition, that brings harmony, clarity, and intergrity to a civilization…

 

[jayla221]

I have never heard of the multiverse/manyworlds theory and I am a cradle Catholic who has a Master’s in Education. This theory can’t be that well respected otherwise I think it would me more well known. It definitely sounds counter-catholic and counter-scientific. I wouldn’t waste my time with investigating it any further.
Jayla

 

[ccmnxc]

With an infinite number of universes, I guess there are infinite opportunities for another “you.” Take “you” to mean anyone with you same genetic makeup and lifestyle. However, what you do doesn’t affect them and vice versa. Don’t think of a multi verse as “parallel dimensions” as seen in pop culture. Your choice is your own.

 

[Glomung]

That “theory” makes the unsupportable assumption that there is such a real thing as a “decision”, and that a decision has power to create. A “decision” as used in this circumstance is a completely arbitrary notion, and the notion that a complete universe is created due to my choosing Pepsi versus Coke is patently rediculous.

 

[clem456]

I have a question…

How does the multiverse/many worlds theories co-exist with free will?

Isn’t that the theory where alledgedly everytime we make a decision, a new universe is created with the replica of that person doing the exact opposite…?

so wouldn’t that mean that those people wouldn’t have free will because their actions are based on what we choose to do since they will have to do the opposite of what we do?..or possibly our actions are based on what they do since we have to do the opposite of what they do…

this theory is really scary!

Never heard of it.

 

[reagent6]

Apparently thre are not so many science fiction fans here

The mutli-universe theory is completely unprovable but can be an interesting thought experiment. As long as we recognize that God is God of all possible universes, visible and invisible, I don’t see the harm in speculating or a cause for fear as expressed by the OP. In fact I sometimes think that this might be an explanation for the power of prayer- that our prayers, through the providence of God, move us from one alternative universe to another. Only God could keep track of all those universes. Not a well developed thought but something to muse upon.

Live long and prosper!

 

[Ron_Conte]

I have a question…

How does the multiverse/many worlds theories co-exist with free will?

Isn’t that the theory where alledgedly everytime we make a decision, a new universe is created with the replica of that person doing the exact opposite…?

so wouldn’t that mean that those people wouldn’t have free will because their actions are based on what we choose to do since they will have to do the opposite of what we do?..or possibly our actions are based on what they do since we have to do the opposite of what they do…

this theory is really scary!

You are absolutely correct. That theory is incompatible with free will.

It is also a provably false theory: If every possible decision has its own universe, the number of universes in which people make entirely random nonsensical decisions would be extremely large. But we observe that people generally use reason when making decisions. We observe that people often exercise conscience and love of neighbor. The odds are exceedingly small that we just happen to be in that one universe where each decision merely seems to be based on free will and reason.

 

[Burdensome1]

How does the multiverse/many worlds theories co-exist with free will?

Since the multiverse had its 15 minutes of fame in the physics community and has now gone the way of the dodo (and was kept alive in the popular sci-fi community for longer than that), there’s no reason to try to reconcile anything with it.

 

[ProdglArchitect]

You are absolutely correct. That theory is incompatible with free will.

It is also a provably false theory: If every possible decision has its own universe, the number of universes in which people make entirely random nonsensical decisions would be extremely large. But we observe that people generally use reason when making decisions. We observe that people often exercise conscience and love of neighbor. The odds are exceedingly small that we just happen to be in that one universe where each decision merely seems to be based on free will and reason.

This.

Logic disproves this theory. It is a fun one to think about though, I will admit

 

[Just_Lurking]

FYI, here is a description of the many worlds theory from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

 

[Pat_Albertson]

It’s actually known as the Everett many-worlds interpretation and it’s one of many attempts to make sense of quantum mechanics.

It does away with problems like the meaning of wave function collapse and just goes with the math.

And it isn’t about every time you make a decision, it’s every time an electron (or other subatomic particle) has a chance to follow one probability or another.

I could say more, but I’ll leave it at that. You now have a couple of sources in this thread from which to look at the Everett many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.

:twocents:

 

[Ben_Sinner]

I guess it’s scary because what if our universe is one of the “fake” ones?..thus our actions are controlled by some other “real” universe (no free will for us)…so we would be an illusion along with God, the saints, Jesus, etc.

 

[clem456]

I guess it’s scary because what if our universe is one of the “fake” ones?..thus our actions are controlled by some other “real” universe (no free will for us)…so we would be an illusion along with God, the saints, Jesus, etc.

I see you are Catholic. Do you trust Catholic teaching that God loves every person, and gives them the free will to reciprocate?
There is absolutely nothing to fear.

 

[Pat_Albertson]

I guess it’s scary because what if our universe is one of the “fake” ones?..thus our actions are controlled by some other “real” universe (no free will for us)…so we would be an illusion along with God, the saints, Jesus, etc.

They are all equally real, none are fake.

There are many ways that people try to come to grips with quantum mechanics. Here is a book I own: The Infamous Boundary

It’s been quite a while since I read that book, but the Everett many-worlds interpretation is only one interpretation of how quantum mechanics works.

 

[HansTrappist]

I have a question…

How does the multiverse/many worlds theories co-exist with free will?

Isn’t that the theory where alledgedly everytime we make a decision, a new universe is created with the replica of that person doing the exact opposite…?

so wouldn’t that mean that those people wouldn’t have free will because their actions are based on what we choose to do since they will have to do the opposite of what we do?..or possibly our actions are based on what they do since we have to do the opposite of what they do…

this theory is really scary!

There is no evidence for the multiverse theory. The multiverse theory is interesting in only one respect: it is good evidence of the desperation of atheists in wanting to avoid the obvious conclusion that the fine-tuning of our universe demands a divine explanation. We actually have more evidence for fairies in our gardens than we do for multiverse theory, given that we at least have gardens.

 

[Pat_Albertson]

They are all equally real, none are fake.

There are many ways that people try to come to grips with quantum mechanics. Here is a book I own: The Infamous Boundary

It’s been quite a while since I read that book, but the Everett many-worlds interpretation is only one interpretation of how quantum mechanics works.

I just took a look at the Wikipedia article on Interpretations of quantum mechanics. I think it’s a rather nice article. It can’t claim to be complete of course, but it’s a nice introduction to the subject.

At the bottom of the page, there is a very nice chart summarizing various properties of each interpretation. Since the idea of not having a unique history appears to be that which most creeps out some of the posters in this thread, you might want to stay away from the:

• Many-worlds interpretation* Many-minds interpretation* Consistent histories interpretation* Relational interpretation

and “champion” one or more of:

• Ensemble interpretation* Copenhagen interpretation* de Broglie–Bohm theory* von Neumann interpretation* Quantum logic* Popper’s interpretation* Time-symmetric theories* Stochastic interpretation* Objective collapse theories* Transactional interpretation

Of course, there was another view which became prominent after WWII, one which professors tended to tell their students; it was: Shut up and compute!

While I think all of those interpretations are interesting, I myself tend to follow that last adage. I’m a happy camper if I can just pose and then solve problems.

:twocents:

 

[Joe_5859]

You’ve been watching too much Fringe.

The theory only works in science fiction when framed in the simplest of terms. Do you realize how many decisions we make in a day? Between how many choices? And any one of those choices may drastically change things for thousands of years, including different people being born or not being born.

At the grocery store, I might choose Cheerios. Or maybe Lucky Charms. Or Post Raisin Bran. Or Kelloggs Raisin Bran. Or Total Raisin Bran. Or Cap’n Crunch. Or Cracklin Oat Bran. Or Special K. Or Frosted Flakes. Or Apple Jacks. Or Corn Pops. Or Honey Smacks. Or a generic version of any of the above.

Or maybe I go with granola bars instead. Chocolate Chip. Or Peanut Butter. Or smores. Or dipped. Or maybe I’ll go with the frozen aisle. I’ll pick up some frozen waffles. But what brand? And what type? Or maybe there’s some type of breakfast burrito. Or maybe I’ll just skip breakfast. I forgot my coupon anyway. Or maybe I didn’t.

Or maybe I’m not at the store at all. Or maybe I chose to leave five minutes later. Or five minutes and one second later. Or five minutes and two seconds later. Or five minutes and three seconds later…Or three hours, twenty-nine minutes, and forty-five seconds later.

And maybe I’ll get in a fatal car crash on the way there. And I won’t have any more kids. And the kids I do have will have their lives turned upside down, which will lead them down a completely different path in life – going to different colleges, making different friends, marrying different people, having different children. And those different children will have more different children in an infinite number of ways. Times 6 billion.

Sorry, the universe doesn’t work that way. But it does make for compelling TV.

 

[vera_dicere]

The multiverse theory is cute, in like Star Trek and Transformers, but in any kind of reality it just cannot be, esp. when you consider a theological impact.

Say in one universe Hitler didn’t kill a bunch of people, WWII didn’t start, therefore, all those poor Jews who were gassed would have lived their lives, had children, who’d have children and so on and so fourth. The nuclear bombs wouldn’t have been developed because Japan likely wouldn’t have gotten involved without the stress in Europe. All those extra people would likely drastically alter the genetic land scape.

So say Josef and Anne would have met in Aushwitchz, they survive, have families. But in the multi verse where there were no camps, they never met, so they married other people, and thus had different children. So say Samuel who would have been J’s and A’s first son, doesn’t exist, so his children will not exist.

Of coruse, this scenario hedges on an alt. version of Hitler, which would be a huge coincidence, because genetically he likely wouldnt’ exist becuase the choices made in the lines before him would have been different to the choices made int he lines in our universe so he wouldn’t have existed. Someone else worse, or better coudl have, again, altering the whole genetic scape and who exists and when.

Multi-verse theory is more annoying than the space-time paradoxes that are out there.

Don’t bother your mind with such fictions.

Frankly, I think if there are “multi-verses” there will not be alterantive versions of me or any of us. There will be completely different people and historical time lines, in which case, no problem with free will or theologies.