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First, an explanation of Quantum Immortality and the
Fermi Paradox:
Quantum Immortality is...well, if the many-worlds
interpretation of quantum physics is correct, and you can
only observe things when you're alive, you'll never observe
your own death. You'll only observe yourself being
incredibly
lucky, because you don't observe all of the other
(more likely) cases where you died. Look at yourself--
you're alive, against all odds, and have survived many
near-misses that could have killed you. Good job! This is
because if you did die, you wouldn't be here to see the
result, therefore you cannot die. This means you're free to
do really risky stuff, because fate/luck will always, always
seem to save you.
The Fermi Paradox is that there are uncountable billions of
planets capable of supporting life, but no intelligent aliens
as far as we can tell.
My Idea: use Quantum Immortality to solve the Fermi
Paradox. Every intelligent alien race discovered the
Quantum Immortality interpretation of quantum mechanics
at around the same time they discovered space travel.
Then, they proceeded to kill themselves off by doing fun
but dangerous things, because quantum immortality only
works for the observer.
Additionally, the most-probable existences to experience
are ones where you live forever naturally, without massive
and ongoing sequences of improbable events.
In short, you are the least-unlikely immortal
consciousness, and when you inevitably make it to the
stars you will find dead alien planets full of alien extreme
sports equipment and long-dead risk-loving aliens who are
all still alive in a parallel universe.
[it's not a let's-all because it's true. you cannot escape.
don't panic...that would be an unpleasant way to spend
eternity.]
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I think, therefore you are dead. |
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not in the branch of all possible realities that I'll
experience. |
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[sninctown] Read "Permutation City"; it explores a closely related concept in great depth (and is a good read). |
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OK, not that close, but your idea reminded me of one of my favourite books. |
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And also, "How we pass the time in Hell." (In gyrum
imus
nocte, et consumimur igni.) |
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I've had this notion before (without the sports equipment part), and thinking about it again after reading your excellent writeup, I finally realize why I'm lucky to be alive yet not lucky enough to win the lottery. |
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Lemony Snicket would take great interest in my life. |
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I finally read "Permutation City". Entertaining and thought-provoking
book. |
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So, pardon me but I need to get this straight... since I am the only being which I am certain exists... I can't die? |
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...but since realities are infinite, I get to die in all of your realities the way others do in mine? |
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// since I am the only being which I am
certain exists... I can't die? // |
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Extreme solipsism is logically irrefutable. |
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"Bomb, return to the bomb bay !" |
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You have not passed the individual lifetime barrier, such would take an entity with perception of the other universes. Always cherish what you have but imagine there is something more after the final event horizon. |
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" I'd best pack a lunch. " |
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Well, that's an axiom to live by. |
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Meh, the Fermi paradox seems like less and less of
one as time goes on. How long did the human race
generate high power, omni-directional signals that
are likely to be detectable from a large distance?
Maybe a century. Modern communications are
typically much lower power, more directed, and over
a much broader spectrum from many different
sources. We started making much less noise at the
same time we made it much harder to pick individual
signals out of the background noise. |
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Quantum immortality seems unlikely because all the
people around me are between 0 and 100 years old. |
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" Roomba yard, my lord, roomba yard..." |
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I missed breakfast though. |
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//Extreme solipsism is logically irrefutable.// Says you! |
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//Consider why we haven’t made our presents apparent to
other planets. // You may be the only Halfbaker who could
write that and not have it corrected. |
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I think the Fermi paradox is more easily solved by assuming
that the interval between being able to travel in space, and
discovering that there are many more places you can go
*outside* space, is quite short. |
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I think the Fermi paradox is probably even more easily solved
by simply realizing how mind wobblingly humongously big,
which is really big, space actually is, & the
implications of that (in combination with an absolute limit of
the speed of light) for your potential extra solar holiday plans. |
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//humongously// Space isn't actually that big. They do a
lot of it with clever lighting and mirrors. |
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The statement could equally well come from either of them. |
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That's the assumption that consciousness is limited to one universe, or at least one at a time. |
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Bunned for interesting combination, even though quantum
immortality is known to be complete bunk. |
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