Imagine a raffle where the winner is chosen by some quantum process. Presumably under the many worlds interpretation you can see it as a way of shifting money from lots of your potential selves to just one of them. If you have a goal you are absolutely determined to achieve and a large sum of money would help towards it, then it might make a lot of sense to take part, since the self that wins will also have that desire, and could be trusted to make good use of that money.
Now, I wonder if anyone would take part in such a raffle if all the entrants who didn’t win were killed on the spot. That would mean that everyone would win in some universe, and cease to exist in the other universes where they entered. Could that be a kind of intellectual assent vs belief test for Many Worlds?
Now, I wonder if anyone would take part in such a raffle if all the entrants who didn’t win were killed on the spot. That would mean that everyone would win in some universe, and cease to exist in the other universes where they entered. Could that be a kind of intellectual assent vs belief test for Many Worlds?
No. No. No!
Quantum Sour-Grapes (ie. what you described) could be the result of a technically coherent value system but not a sane one. Unless there is some kind of physical or emotional torture involved dying doesn’t make things better regardless of QM!
I suppose the goal you were going to spend the money on would have to be of sufficient utility if achieved to offset that in order to make the scenario work. Maybe saving the world, or creating lots of happy simulations of yourself, or finding a way to communicate between them.
Imagine a raffle where the winner is chosen by some quantum process. Presumably under the many worlds interpretation you can see it as a way of shifting money from lots of your potential selves to just one of them. If you have a goal you are absolutely determined to achieve and a large sum of money would help towards it, then it might make a lot of sense to take part, since the self that wins will also have that desire, and could be trusted to make good use of that money.
Now, I wonder if anyone would take part in such a raffle if all the entrants who didn’t win were killed on the spot. That would mean that everyone would win in some universe, and cease to exist in the other universes where they entered. Could that be a kind of intellectual assent vs belief test for Many Worlds?
No. No. No!
Quantum Sour-Grapes (ie. what you described) could be the result of a technically coherent value system but not a sane one. Unless there is some kind of physical or emotional torture involved dying doesn’t make things better regardless of QM!
No, because it assumes you’re indifferent to any effects you have on worlds that you don’t personally get to experience.
I suppose the goal you were going to spend the money on would have to be of sufficient utility if achieved to offset that in order to make the scenario work. Maybe saving the world, or creating lots of happy simulations of yourself, or finding a way to communicate between them.
In that case it sounds like an obviously legit test. Someone disagree?
In that case what does ‘Quantum’ and/or many worlds have to do with this?