[Adhanom Andemicael]
When quantum theory is applied to spacetime, the
notion of "superspace" arises. Paul Davies discusses the concept of superspace
in his book Other Worlds.
[Paul Davies; http://deoxy.org/superspace.htm]
The
idea that the world we observe might be a three-dimensional slice through, or
projection of; an infinite-dimensional superworld may be hard to grasp. A
humbler example of a projection may help. Consider an illuminated screen used to
project the silhouette of a simple object, such as a knobbly potato. The image
on the screen gives a two-dimensional projection of what is really a
three-dimensional shape; i.e. the potato. By reorienting the potato, an infinite
variety of silhouette shapes can be obtained, each representing a different
projection from the larger space. Likewise, our observed world is shaped as a
projection from the superworld which projection being a matter of probability
and statistics. At first sight it might seem that reducing the world to a
sequence of random projections is a recipe for chaos, each successive moment
presenting our senses with a completely new panorama, but the dice are heavily
loaded in favour of the well- behaved, law-like Newtonian changes, so that the
jerky fluctuations, which undoubtedly exist, are safely buried among the
microscopic recesses of matter, only manifesting themselves on a subatomic
scale.
[Adhanom Andemicael]
Let us suppose the following: U1, U2, U3, etc. are
parallel universes that exist in superspace. Adam is a person who lives in the
universe U1. He has a body in U1 that we can call "b1."
Multiple copies of Adam's body exist: U2 contains a copy that we can call
"b2"; U3 contains a copy that we can call "b3"; U4 contains a copy b4 and so
on.
There are many copies of Adam's brain. But what about his mind? How many
copies are there of his consciousness? I suggest that Adam has only one
consciousness (i.e., one mind).
Adam's mind (i.e., "M") observes a succession of different
universes.(1) This seems to be the point that Paul Davies is making in the two
excerpts below:
[Paul Davies; http://deoxy.org/superspace.htm]
Quantum
mechanics implies that we must consider not one spacetime, but an infinity of
them, with different shapes and topologies. These spacetimes all fit together
after the fashion of waves, each interfering with the other. The strength of the
wave is a measure of how probable it is that a space of that particular shape is
found to represent the actual universe when an observation is made. The spaces
will evolve, such as when the universe expands, and the overwhelming number of
these alternative worlds will expand in a very similar way. Some of them,
however, fluctuate far from the main path, like the children in the park
discussed in connection with Figure 3. The wave strength in these maverick
worlds is very low, so there is only an infinitesimal chance that they will
actually be observed. Down at the scale of Jiffyland, these fluctuations become
far more pronounced, and random departures from smooth, unruffled space
frequently occur.
[Paul Davies; http://deoxy.org/superspace.htm]
...
our observed world is shaped as a projection from the superworld which
projection being a matter of probability and statistics. At first sight it might
seem that reducing the world to a sequence of random projections is a recipe for
chaos, each successive moment presenting our senses with a completely new
panorama, but the dice are heavily loaded in favour of the well- behaved,
law-like Newtonian changes, so that the jerky fluctuations, which undoubtedly
exist, are safely buried among the microscopic recesses of matter, only
manifesting themselves on a subatomic scale.
[Adhanom Andemicael]
Adam's mind M constantly changes universes.(2) That
is why he perceives a succession of different worlds.(3) While it is
moving from one universe to the next, Adam's mind moves forward in physical
time. M moves forward through time at the rate of one day per day.
Let us consider the following time travel scenarios:
S1: Adam's mind leaves the universe U1 on Jan. 1, 2000 AD. A moment later,
his mind arrives in the universe U2. The date of arrival in U2 is Jan. 1, 2010
AD.
S2: Adam's mind leaves the universe U1 on Jan. 1, 2000 AD. A moment later,
his mind arrives in the universe U2. The date of arrival in U2 is Jan. 1, 1990
AD.
Logical inconsistencies arise when one travels back in time within the
same universe. Note however: In scenario S2, M travels into the past of
a parallel universe. No logical inconsistencies arise in this
scenario.
1. M observes more than one universe.
2. Adam is unaware that he is observing different universes. This is because
the different worlds he observes resemble one another.
3. When M observes the universe U1, M experiences itself as existing inside
the body b1. However, when M observes the universe U2, M experiences itself as
existing inside the body b2.
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