The Next Big Idea Daily Do We Live in a Multiverse?
Oct 3, 2025
Paul Halpern, a physics professor and acclaimed author, dives into the fascinating world of the multiverse. He explores why curiosity pushes scientists to theorize beyond our observable universe and discusses the concept of quantum many-worlds, likening it to an infinite hotel. Halpern explains cosmic inflation and the notion of bubble universes, touching on how the anthropic principle might illuminate the cosmological constant. He also clarifies why fictional portrayals of doppelgangers don’t hold up scientifically.
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Curiosity Beyond Observability
- Observability limits what science can verify, but curiosity leads us to consider beyond the observable universe.
- Paul Halpern argues indirect evidence can convincingly reveal unobservable cosmic features.
Infer The Unseen From Effects
- Use indirect evidence when direct observation is impossible due to limits like the speed of light.
- Halpern suggests searching for effects on our observable region to infer properties beyond it.
Quantum States And Many Worlds
- Quantum states evolve in an abstract Hilbert space and measured outcomes depend on the experimenter's choice.
- Halpern explains Everett's many-worlds removes collapse by letting all possibilities persist as branching realities.
