Hey everyone, I’m 26, and a PhD candidate in theoretical physics (four years in, maybe two left). I’ve been reading LessWrong for years on and off but I put off participating for a long time, mainly because at first there was a lot of rationality specific lingo I didn’t understand, and I didn’t want to waste anyones time until I understood more of it.
I had always felt that things in life are just systems, and for most systems there are more and less efficient ways to do the same things. Which to me that is what rationality is, first seeing the system for what it actually is, and then tweaking your actions to better align with the actual rules of the system. So I began looking to see what other people thought about rationality, and eventually ended up here. I lurked for years, and finally made the first step towards involvement during the LW study hall, which I participated in for several weeks as not_a_test5 during my working hours.
I was accepted last year into one of the CFAR workshops with an offer for about 50% reduction in fees, but unfortunately for a graduate student it was still difficult for me to justify the cost when I am on a fixed income for the next few years and often spend exactly what I make each month. I would still like to attend in the future though, so hopefully once I graduate I will have the money and time. It will also help if some of the workshops are held on the east coast (where I live).
I’ve actually never read the quantum physics sequences, as I deal with quantum physics on a daily basis I didn’t think I had much to gain. But as I look for places that I could contribute something to this site I think that could be one place that I have an advantage over others, if there is further interest in development of physics based sequences.
(Unimportant edit: the name pan is a reference to the Greek god, particularly in the book Jitterbug Perfume, in case anyone has read it.)
I’ve actually never read the quantum physics sequences, as I deal with quantum physics on a daily basis I didn’t think I had much to gain.
Eliezer’s point is that his QM sequence, resulting in proclaiming MWI the one true Bayesian interpretation, is an essential part of epistemic rationality (or something like that), and that physicists are irrational at ignoring this. Not surprisingly, trained physicists, including yours truly, tend to be highly skeptical of this sweeping assertion. So I wonder if you ever give any thought to Many Worlds or stick with the usual “shut up and calculate”?
My research is in quantum optics and information, more specifically macroscopic tests of Bell’s inequality and applications to quantum cryptography through things like the Ekert protocol.
I didn’t realize that the quantum mechanics sequence here made such conclusions, thanks for pointing that out, maybe I’ll check it out to see what he says. I’ve given some thought to many worlds, but not enough to be an expert, as my work doesn’t necessitate it. From what I know, I’m not so convinced that many worlds is the correct interpretation, I think answers to the meaning of the wave function collapse will come more form decoherence mechanisms giving the appearance of a collapse.
Decoherence is a measurable physical effect and is interpretation-agnostic. “Each you” only appears in the MWI ontology. pan did not state anything about there being more than one copy of the observer as a result of decoherence.
Hey everyone, I’m 26, and a PhD candidate in theoretical physics (four years in, maybe two left). I’ve been reading LessWrong for years on and off but I put off participating for a long time, mainly because at first there was a lot of rationality specific lingo I didn’t understand, and I didn’t want to waste anyones time until I understood more of it.
I had always felt that things in life are just systems, and for most systems there are more and less efficient ways to do the same things. Which to me that is what rationality is, first seeing the system for what it actually is, and then tweaking your actions to better align with the actual rules of the system. So I began looking to see what other people thought about rationality, and eventually ended up here. I lurked for years, and finally made the first step towards involvement during the LW study hall, which I participated in for several weeks as not_a_test5 during my working hours.
I was accepted last year into one of the CFAR workshops with an offer for about 50% reduction in fees, but unfortunately for a graduate student it was still difficult for me to justify the cost when I am on a fixed income for the next few years and often spend exactly what I make each month. I would still like to attend in the future though, so hopefully once I graduate I will have the money and time. It will also help if some of the workshops are held on the east coast (where I live).
I’ve actually never read the quantum physics sequences, as I deal with quantum physics on a daily basis I didn’t think I had much to gain. But as I look for places that I could contribute something to this site I think that could be one place that I have an advantage over others, if there is further interest in development of physics based sequences.
(Unimportant edit: the name pan is a reference to the Greek god, particularly in the book Jitterbug Perfume, in case anyone has read it.)
CFAR is holding a workshop in New York on November 1-4 (Friday through Monday).
Just wondering what your area of research is.
Eliezer’s point is that his QM sequence, resulting in proclaiming MWI the one true Bayesian interpretation, is an essential part of epistemic rationality (or something like that), and that physicists are irrational at ignoring this. Not surprisingly, trained physicists, including yours truly, tend to be highly skeptical of this sweeping assertion. So I wonder if you ever give any thought to Many Worlds or stick with the usual “shut up and calculate”?
My research is in quantum optics and information, more specifically macroscopic tests of Bell’s inequality and applications to quantum cryptography through things like the Ekert protocol.
I didn’t realize that the quantum mechanics sequence here made such conclusions, thanks for pointing that out, maybe I’ll check it out to see what he says. I’ve given some thought to many worlds, but not enough to be an expert, as my work doesn’t necessitate it. From what I know, I’m not so convinced that many worlds is the correct interpretation, I think answers to the meaning of the wave function collapse will come more form decoherence mechanisms giving the appearance of a collapse.
Forgive my ignorance, but isn’t that the official many-world’s position—that decoherence provides each “you” with the appearance of collapse?
Decoherence is a measurable physical effect and is interpretation-agnostic. “Each you” only appears in the MWI ontology. pan did not state anything about there being more than one copy of the observer as a result of decoherence.
That makes sense; are you a physicist, too?
Trained, not practicing.