Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal Top Physicists Call Out Many Worlds As Nonsense | Jacob Barandes Λ Emily Adlam
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Jun 25, 2025 
In this engaging discussion, Harvard Professor Jacob Barandes, known for his innovative thoughts on quantum mechanics, and physicist-philosopher Emily Adlam challenge the Many Worlds Interpretation. They argue it's more philosophical illusion than science, debating its lack of testability and real-world relevance. The conversation dives into the perplexities of self-identity, the nature of probability, and the hard problem of consciousness, revealing how deeply intertwined our understanding of reality is with philosophical insights.
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Distinguishing Self-Locating Uncertainty Types
- There is a qualitative difference between pure and superficial self-locating uncertainty.
- In Everettian multiverse, it is a pure self-locating uncertainty with no physical process selecting outcomes.
Probability Challenges Without Branch Selection
- Everettian many-worlds involves a deterministic single world with branching realities, not separate possible worlds.
- Probability is mysterious without a physical selection process like a hopping ego choosing branches.
Credences Depend on Personal Goals
- In self-locating scenarios, rational credence depends on your personal goals, not universal rules.
- Rationality cannot impose a single correct probability when many identical observers exist.
