Max Tegmark - Many Worlds of Quantum Theory

Quantum theory is very strange. No act is wholly sure. Everything works by probabilities, described by a wave function. But what is a wavefunction? One theory is that every possibility is in fact a real world of sorts. This is the Many Worlds interpretation of Hugh Everett and what it claims boggles the brain. You can’t imagine how many worlds there would be.



Max Tegmark is Professor of Physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds a BS in Physics and a BA in Economics from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. He also earned a MA and PhD in physics from University of California, Berkeley.


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[cozyslor]

Can we set up a GoFundMe for Max so he can buy a decent shirt?

[bittertruth]

No phenomenon is a phenomenon unless it is an observed phenomeonon. Therefore, the statement, "We have seen in the laboratory that an elementary particle can be in sevaral places at once", is 100% wrong, because, upon observation, an elementary particle is always found at a single defiite place only. The particle existes at multiple states at once is merely an inference to fit the statistics of a large nimber of particle, for example the interference pattern in Young's double-slit experiment. Therefore, the many-world interpretation is merely based on an inference, rather than any experimental evidence. Therefore, the many-world interpretation is a belief systen like a religion, but cannot be a science.

[Homunculas]

Everything that can be MUST be, that's the answer to the abhorrent absurdity of nothingness.

[brothermine]

Tegmark was disingenuous at 0:38 when he said physicists have "seen" particles in many places (states) at once. Actually, the act of observing or measuring always "sees" only a single state. The superposition of multiple states prior to the observation is only inferred, never seen, and this inference depends on an unproved axiom.
To be even more pedantic, particles themselves have never been seen, only inferred, and this inference too depends on an unproved axiom.

[tayebzairi]

This "physicist" sounds like a monk not a scientist 😂 what empirical evidence does he have for the existence of these "parallel universes"?!!

[jeffwilliams]

The end of physics as it descends into meaningless metaphysics. Two pinheads discussing how many angels can fit on them.

[matterasmachine]

It’s just stupid misinterpretation. Including particles in 2 places

[matterasmachine]

It’s just stupid misinterpretation. Including particles in 2 places

[krzemyslav]

Max Tegmark seems to equate many worlds interpretation with quantum theory itself and that's a fallacy. He hasn't said anything that would convince me that this interpretation is better than any other, he just assumed that it's the correct one. My bias is clear – I would like to squeeze as much meaning from science (and quantum theory) as possible, but I'm also willing to accept any interpretation that provides explanatory closure. If there's no place for consciousness in quantum theory, I'm ok with that, but it has to be unequivocal and irrefutable.

[stevecoley]

X-Files
Metaphysics

Transforming frowns into smiles is smarter than turning lead into gold. And transforming heaven (peace) into hell (war) is more ignorant (dead) than turning gold into lead.

Good (god) creates joy, beauty and harmony (heaven).

The hostile alien vampires (greed) create misery, ugliness and conflict (hell).

[davesutherland]

Never quite understood where the mass/energy is supposed to come from to support all these worlds.

[scienceexplains]

*counterpoint to MWI?*
@5:40
First of all, Sean Carroll has a much better description of the Many Worlds Interpretation (MWI): each quantum “decision” is a splitting of the probability wave. Each resulting universe has half the possibilities of its “parent” universe.

“You” exist in only one of them. The other is an almost-you and as time goes on it is less and less like you. And of course, that almost you considers you the “almost”.

The host equivocates on “you”, if I am understanding him. In the first part of his counterpoint, each world contains one of him. But in the death scenario, he allows for only one of him in any world. Maybe I didn’t understand this counterpoint, though.

[ConsiderationFarm]

L love Max. Consciousness is rendering visible light into the many codes of reality - one being life itself. But what is consciousness? Good question. It is a representation, the way reality encodes itself from the quantum into a 3+1 time/space reality (there is no causality inside the quantum as it is unfolding at the speed of light - another good reason for an intermediary like consciousness) to witness the math, of the underlying quantum reality that exists below the dimensions of our senses - this is the actual, fundamental, thermodynamic reality that our conscious universe emerges to witness (and encode into information in the visible light spectrum).

[ManiBalajiC]

Can't get behind this splitting, if a decision is made another option just doesn't get used. Any reason why it has to split and continue with other possibilities.

[taquiupa]

If I said itˋs nonsense, would you think Iˋm crazy?

[glennpaquette]

This is the kind of insanity that results when you love your equations too much.

[teugene]

Max's shirt is in another dimension...

[maxwellsimoes]

He believes elementary particles exist bit other wise in quantum particles are underteminate. Paradoxe phich cat are live or not are unsolve so far. Guys speculations are pedantic and spell fake phich proceedings.

[jamesruscheinski]

how does a Hilbert space relate to quantum physics and many worlds?

[jamesruscheinski]

many worlds connected non-locally in quantum wave(s) / fields?