Abstract
The first chapter provides an introduction to the concept of the quantum multiverse, also showing the reader what to expect when reading the book. What are the challenges when confronted with this unusual perspective on life? Is the multiverse, applying Sigmund Freud’s famous reflections on the move from a geocentric to a heliocentric perspective, the development of evolution theory, and the detection of the unconscious, inflicting another ‘narcissistic wound’ on mankind? Or are the advantages of this perspective, a parsimonious interpretation of quantum mechanics, a new, non-materialistic, non-reductionist view of the action of consciousness, and, last but not least, room for a special form of free will, more important? Could it be that the multiverse perspective is actually healing some (imminent) other wounds such as the so-called neurobiological wound? Moreover, the chapter ‘prepares’ the reader for concepts such as parallel times, i.e., times as special cases of other universes, and the parallel existence of different versions of one person. Finally, the chapter gives an overview and explains the structure of the book.
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- 1.
The other three injuries are the division between the humanities and science, the negative view on spirituality and the split between the world of fact and the world of values (Kauffman 2010, 7–8). The emergentist’ view that Kauffman (2010) then develops throughout his book as a means to heal those wounds will, however, not be considered within the current monograph. I rather aim at healing those wounds via the development and application of the concept of the clustered-minds multiverse (to be introduced in Chap. 4).
- 2.
I have to admit that such a ranking is hard to be made. Some physicists have conducted polls at conferences, but this hardly qualifies as ‘hard data.’ My subjective view, however, is that many physicists would agree with this ‘ranking.’
- 3.
According to Zeh (2013), this ‘umbrella view’ of the term Copenhagen interpretation is historically misleading. He also points to the fact that the actual proponents of the Copenhagen interpretation (Bohr, Heisenberg) maintained a quasi-classical view on quantum phenomena (particles), whereas von Neumann was using the wave function as consequently as possible. The ‘umbrella view’ has nevertheless gained some popularity, probably because all sub-interpretations handled under this umbrella are singular-world views without postulating third variables.
- 4.
Indeed, decoherence does not solve the measurement problem. However, it is quite helpful in crystallizing it (Zeh 2011).
- 5.
- 6.
It is not quite clear to whom this ‘dictum’ might be attributed, many think that it was first expressed by Paul Dirac.
- 7.
This perspective has also been inspired by Goswami (2015). In his popular science book on “Quantum Economics,” Goswami argues that quantum mechanics might be able to ‘heal’ mankind from overarching materialism, especially in the context of economic behavior.
- 8.
“(…) the real world we live in is a world of fact without values.” (Kauffman 2010, 8).
- 9.
As will be demonstrated in Chap. 4, the best way of looking at those probabilities is as a prediction of relative frequencies of measurement outcomes along one decoherent history (one reality).
- 10.
Insertion in the Schrödinger quote by Lockwood (1996), 165.
- 11.
The usage of the term ‘versions’ will be preferred in this book over and above the usage of terms such as replicas, copies etc. used by other authors. The term ‘versions’ has, e.g., been used in the theoretical literature on quantum mechanics by Zeh (2013) as well as in Schade-Strohm (2017).
- 12.
The reader who has watched (and may remember) the movie “Run Lola Run” (“Lola rennt,” with Franka Potente as Lola and produced by Tom Tykwer, Germany 1998) may feel reminded of the quick sketches of alternative lives based on slightly altered choices, provided within a few seconds, at several points throughout this film as well as the different outcomes based on different short ‘histories,’ explicitly considered within this film via totally altered decision sequences. In fact, this film gets surprisingly close to the multiverse perspective proposed in this book.
- 13.
The decision as to who I am classifying as a physicist or a philosopher is a bit arbitrary, I suppose.
- 14.
The economists and game theorists may apologize the ‘sloppy’ usage of terms in this introductory chapter, especially in light of the fact that mixed strategies also exist and are unique. The terminology will be used in a more precise manner in Chap. 10.
- 15.
Since consciousness might cluster in ‘meaningful’ ways (see, e.g., Chap. 10), this scientific result will then ‘inform’ a certain minds cluster, it becomes scientific knowledge within that cluster.
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Schade, C.D. (2018). Introduction: Developing a Multiverse View of Decision Making and Consciousness. In: Free Will and Consciousness in the Multiverse. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03583-9_1
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