There is an interpretation of quantum mechanics called the many-world
interpretation that rejects the wave-function collapse of the
classical interpretation.
This interpretation leads some people to the belief that all possible
alternative histories are real. Everything that can happen does
happen. They assume that if you die in this world, you would also continue
living on in another world. Since there must always be a chance you
won’t die, then there must be a world in which you live forever.
The problem with this belief is that at best it applies only for
simple quantum systems, and generally not to events as large and
complex as a person’s death. To avoid death, a very large number of
quantum level alternatives have to be simultaneously selected for. The
probability of this simultaneous selection will be effectively zero.
In MWI terms this means that you die in all worlds, except the
impossible ones.
Value the life you have and don’t depend on quantum immortality.
* I like the MWI on lack of wave-function collapse and on quantum
decoherence, but I don’t think that the idea of separate worlds is
necessary.
Eh not impossible… just very improbable (in a given world) and certain across all worlds.
I would have thought the more conventional explanation is that the other versions are not actually you (just very like you). This sounds like the issue of only economists acting in the way that economists model people. I would suspect that only people who fixate on such matters would confuse a copy with themselves.
I suspect that people who are vulnerable to these ideas leading to suicide are in fact generally vulnerable to suicide. There are lots of better reasons to kill yourself that most people ignore. If you think you’re at risk of this I recommend you seek therapy, thought experiments should not have such drastic effects on your actions.
Eh not impossible… just very improbable (in a given world) and
certain across all worlds.
“Very improbable” is the typical assumption with MWI, but I think that
it is mistaken in most cases dealing with complex systems.
Each wave-function sets limits on what can occur. Wave-functions don’t
have infinite extents, there are areas with zero amplitude. Each
additional wave-function that must meet specific requirements further
restricts the possible outcomes. In general, the likelihood of failing
to meet the simultaneous condition grows exponentially as the system
size grows linearly.
Since quantum survival (avoiding death in some worlds, in some
meaningful context) will usually require a very large number of
quantum level alternatives to be simultaneously selected for, quantum
survival will almost always be impossible.
A person who experiences quantum survival once is very lucky, but
almost certainly won’t survive the next time. A person who fails to
experience quantum survival never gets another chance.
So my conclusion is that quantum immortality is impossible, not just
very improbable.
Your logic here makes no rational sense. Your saying things which can be proved to be false.
Firstly I accept your premise that some things have zero probability. The wave-function doesn’t mean literally anything can happen
BUT
I strongly disagree with you when you start saying that simultaneously selecting for possible (but improbable things) makes them impossible because this makes no rational sense. Quantum events are independent of each other the fact that 1 radioactive atom decays doesn’t mean that the next is more or less likely to (unless they interact of course but I am ignroring that) nor is there a cutoff as to how many atoms can decay.
If a random event has a non zero probability of occurring, then a googleplex number of those events has a nonzero probability of occurring, in ANY COMBINATION.
I am a mathematical biologist, have a think about how many random mutations had to occur to create you.
I’m a MWI cynic*, so here is my approach.
There is an interpretation of quantum mechanics called the many-world interpretation that rejects the wave-function collapse of the classical interpretation.
This interpretation leads some people to the belief that all possible alternative histories are real. Everything that can happen does happen. They assume that if you die in this world, you would also continue living on in another world. Since there must always be a chance you won’t die, then there must be a world in which you live forever.
The problem with this belief is that at best it applies only for simple quantum systems, and generally not to events as large and complex as a person’s death. To avoid death, a very large number of quantum level alternatives have to be simultaneously selected for. The probability of this simultaneous selection will be effectively zero.
In MWI terms this means that you die in all worlds, except the impossible ones.
Value the life you have and don’t depend on quantum immortality.
* I like the MWI on lack of wave-function collapse and on quantum decoherence, but I don’t think that the idea of separate worlds is necessary.
Eh not impossible… just very improbable (in a given world) and certain across all worlds.
I would have thought the more conventional explanation is that the other versions are not actually you (just very like you). This sounds like the issue of only economists acting in the way that economists model people. I would suspect that only people who fixate on such matters would confuse a copy with themselves.
I suspect that people who are vulnerable to these ideas leading to suicide are in fact generally vulnerable to suicide. There are lots of better reasons to kill yourself that most people ignore. If you think you’re at risk of this I recommend you seek therapy, thought experiments should not have such drastic effects on your actions.
“Very improbable” is the typical assumption with MWI, but I think that it is mistaken in most cases dealing with complex systems.
Each wave-function sets limits on what can occur. Wave-functions don’t have infinite extents, there are areas with zero amplitude. Each additional wave-function that must meet specific requirements further restricts the possible outcomes. In general, the likelihood of failing to meet the simultaneous condition grows exponentially as the system size grows linearly.
Since quantum survival (avoiding death in some worlds, in some meaningful context) will usually require a very large number of quantum level alternatives to be simultaneously selected for, quantum survival will almost always be impossible.
A person who experiences quantum survival once is very lucky, but almost certainly won’t survive the next time. A person who fails to experience quantum survival never gets another chance.
So my conclusion is that quantum immortality is impossible, not just very improbable.
Your logic here makes no rational sense. Your saying things which can be proved to be false.
Firstly I accept your premise that some things have zero probability. The wave-function doesn’t mean literally anything can happen
BUT
I strongly disagree with you when you start saying that simultaneously selecting for possible (but improbable things) makes them impossible because this makes no rational sense. Quantum events are independent of each other the fact that 1 radioactive atom decays doesn’t mean that the next is more or less likely to (unless they interact of course but I am ignroring that) nor is there a cutoff as to how many atoms can decay.
If a random event has a non zero probability of occurring, then a googleplex number of those events has a nonzero probability of occurring, in ANY COMBINATION.
I am a mathematical biologist, have a think about how many random mutations had to occur to create you.
Wait, is there proof for wave-functions not having infinite extents?
I always thought that the idea was similar to a normal distribution curve, where any value could be possible, just some are extremely unlikely.