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50 Years of the Multiverse Interpretation

Posted by Zonk on from the one-of-my-favorite-verses dept.

chinmay7 writes "There is an excellent selection of articles (and quite a few related scientific papers) in a special edition of Nature magazine on interpretations of the multiverse theory. 'Fifty years ago this month Hugh Everett III published his paper proposing a "relative-state formulation of quantum mechanics" — the idea subsequently described as the 'many worlds' or 'multiverse' interpretation. Its impact on science and culture continues. In celebration, a science fiction special edition of Nature on 5 July 2007 explores the symbiosis of science and sf, as exemplified by Everett's hypothesis, its birth, evolution, champions and opponents, in biology, physics, literature and beyond.'

2 of 198 comments (clear)

  1. Oh, great! by tomhudson · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Just what we need; the knowledge that there are an infinite amount of dupe posts in the multi-verse.

    ... and that another almost-me is wasting time on a Friday night posting on slashdot, while another almost-me is partying it up like there's no tomorrow (of course for trhat doppelganger, there may not be a tomorrow ...)

  2. Re:50 year of an untestable hypothesis by DamnStupidElf · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Quantum computing is equally bunk since it is based on the idea that a quantum property can have multiple states simultaneously, that is, when nobody is looking. ahahaha... Reminds me of the kid I knew who insisted that he could jump as high as a tall building but only when nobody was looking. Whatever happen to empiricism? Talk about pseudoscience! Everett, Schrodinger (and his stupid cat) and that lunatic David Deutsch are crackpots of the worst kinds. Only physicists can get away with such quackery. They should all be stripped naked, tarred, feathered and paraded down Fifth Avenue in New York as an example to undergraduates. ahahaha...

    Sorry, your computer now refuses to work because it no longer obeys quantum mechanics. The electrons are just stuck at the N-P junctions and nothing happens because they're all in a fully defined position with no way of jumping across it at the energy levels they have. Bump the energy up, and they behave classically and just burn their way through without any of the nice semiconductor properties that make computation with them possible.

    On the upside, now you'll have a lot more time to tar and feather the quacks who made your nonfunctional computer!