Alternate History and Quantum Physics: The Simulation Theory and Delayed Choice Experiment

In speculative narratives, the concept of alternate history raises questions about the nature of memory and past events. It suggests that civilizations may have experienced different outcomes in timelines, allowing for the possibility of remembering or accessing those alternate realities. This hinges on the idea that the past could be a construct influenced by current perception. The discussion introduces quantum physics, particularly John Wheeler's delayed choice experiment, which challenges traditional notions of causality. In this experiment, light from a distant quasar has to navigate around a gravitational body, making its path determinate only at the moment of observation. This implies that past events may not be fixed, hinting at a reality where possibilities coexist until measured. Essentially, it reshapes the understanding of the past as dynamic and subject to current observations, akin to the paradox of Schrödinger's cat, where outcomes exist in a state of superposition until assessed.