Even if Robin is not right about mangled worlds, I don’t think this is right. Why would there necessarily be a quantum event that produced a sperm whale and a bowl of petunias? (“Oh no, not again.”)
But tunneling, and atoms even, are classical concepts, not QM concepts. I’m confused here, but I suspect that others are as well. My impression is that the best pseudo-classical perspective is that anything can appear anywhere at any time with low probability (!!) but that it’s confusion to think in terms of classical objects doing anything but following classical physics as the classical particles, indeed the classical objects, simply ARE the math of classical physics which is approximated by QM. This is a nit to pick perhaps, but it seems to me that the proper understanding of Boltzman Brains involves this line of attack as well as a Turing Machine refoundation.
I’ve yet to see a clear answer on this. My understanding was that quantum events occur when a particle interacts with another particle in such a way as to yield different outcomes depending on its spin (essentially “measuring” the spin). There are exactly two possibilities and the world only splits into two.
It’s not at all clear that you can arrange the possibilities into a world where a sperm whale spontaneously appears. I would love to see a correction or further explanation.
Even if Robin is not right about mangled worlds, I don’t think this is right. Why would there necessarily be a quantum event that produced a sperm whale and a bowl of petunias? (“Oh no, not again.”)
Nearby atoms tunneling into the appropriate places.
But tunneling, and atoms even, are classical concepts, not QM concepts. I’m confused here, but I suspect that others are as well. My impression is that the best pseudo-classical perspective is that anything can appear anywhere at any time with low probability (!!) but that it’s confusion to think in terms of classical objects doing anything but following classical physics as the classical particles, indeed the classical objects, simply ARE the math of classical physics which is approximated by QM.
This is a nit to pick perhaps, but it seems to me that the proper understanding of Boltzman Brains involves this line of attack as well as a Turing Machine refoundation.
I’ve yet to see a clear answer on this. My understanding was that quantum events occur when a particle interacts with another particle in such a way as to yield different outcomes depending on its spin (essentially “measuring” the spin). There are exactly two possibilities and the world only splits into two.
It’s not at all clear that you can arrange the possibilities into a world where a sperm whale spontaneously appears. I would love to see a correction or further explanation.
Spin is popular for examples and experiments, but it’s not fundamentally special; all physical properties are subject to QM in the same way.
Have you read the Quantum Physics Sequence?