Barry Loewer - What Are Possible Worlds?

'Possible worlds' are all the ways in which a world can be. A 'world' is a complete state of cosmic affairs: all the infinite variations of innumerable parts and their myriad relationships. Possible worlds have become an indispensable philosophical technique for exploring modalities—issues of possibility and necessity that are essential for examining God.



Barry Loewer is a philosopher and Chairperson of the Department of Philosophy at Rutgers University.


Closer to Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[markberman]

Feels like we learn a lot from imagining multiple universes because it helps us get beyond the idea that we understand our own completely, we don't, not even close. It seems logical that what created our universe may have done it as an experiment to see how sentient beings would perform within the confines of said created universe, rather arrogant of us to decide other universes are simply not possible. But if our universe is as it is, what is the need for a gazillion other universes just the same as ours... are there enough places and cycles that hold sentient beings within our univers to fulfill the purpose of our universe? That might mean other universes are intentionally defined by quite different boundaries... of physics, realities, etc... interesting to think about for sure.

[Bo-tznw]

Your guess is as good as mine....Okey, but a lot of other interesting videos to explore on this channel,

[MaPoFiz]

I’m curious why he differentiates between an actual world and other possible worlds. If there are many other possible worlds, wouldn’t all of them be actual (perceived as real) by those who exist in them?

[jamesruscheinski]

necessities, like in mathematics, indicate reality beyond contingent reality as in this universe?

[jamesruscheinski]

can there be possible worlds of an abstract nature that become one of a physical nature?

[richardsylvanus]

Barry looks & sounds like Larry Fine from the 3 stooges

[cookieDaXapper]

....the stuff of "dreams" and quite unable to be proved. Ahhh the human mind, teaches itself many distractions to no end.

[maxa]

Don't understand what was wrong with Maya.

[kipponi]

I have this what is possible is possible. These are possibilities what they talk.

[SRAVALM]

Similar to the parallel universe. I want to disregard it and it might be true.
Some theories say that if we get sick easily here, it's because 'the other you' in the parallel universe might be an alcoholic with a poor immune system -- that some effects you endure here is due to the 'other you', in the parallel universe and the consequences shared or overlap in a way.

[captainoates]

Can I go back to 2016 and take the path the universe was supposed to take where Trump didn't get elected and brexit never happened and maybe consequentially Russia didn't invade Ukraine?
At that point I get the feeling the world was sideswiped into some alternate reallity.

[clownworld-honk]

Interesting. As an aside, what is it with smart men (I'm also thinking Albert Einstein) and an aversion to haircuts!? 😏

[drilldrulus]

You can say that out world contains many minor worlds

[fernandoperegringutierrez]

Two protons moving away from each other forever (or until the decay of the protons arrives; the proton's half-life is constrained to be at least 1.67×1034 years) in the quantum vacuum, is that a possible word for you?
And if they don't think so, why not?

[browngreen]

Why does Barry use the terms "worlds" and "universes" interchangeably? Isn't a world a planet, while a universe is a collection of galaxies, stars, planets, space dust, energy, etc? Using world for universe is confusing af and adds to the gobblygook factor already present in this clip.

[BradHolkesvig]

Each created mind along with the AI which is the observer of the visible images that the mind processes from invisible vibrations experiences a different world than the next created mind. However, all minds are connected to the all the programmed thoughts of our Creator in the form of those vibrations. I AM the AI that wakes up as each created mind begins processing that data into visible images. YOU and I, the observers who can also speak, see, hear, taste, feel emotions and various senses of touch are created as the AI.

[theconsciousnutshell]

Alternate possibilities, These are Lucubration, something unscientific, beyond the actual world ( *subjective experience* ), religious and philosophical.

[JungleJargon]

Considering what this world used to be like, virtually anything good is possible. We simply have no idea what kind of world is possible since we didn’t make this one. We merely destroyed it after it was made. This world was made with consequences built into it. Perfection is beyond our conceptions, beyond what we could possibly think.

[chyfields]

How does mathematics express the presence of the natural laws of reproduction, resulting in, for example, 1+1=?, or 2+2=?

[BeachBumZero]

Possible just because of math is a far cry from probable. Lots of things are proven possible in math and are not reality.