this post was submitted on 03 Jan 2024
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

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[–] ChairmanMeow@programming.dev 20 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The point is that people tend to claim the opposite, that an infinite amount of universes means everything and anything is happening in some universe somewhere. Which can't be true, as a universe where someone creates some device that destroys all universes does not exist (as proven by our own existence).

Therefore it follows that there must be some constraints, though what those constraints actually are is obviously a very difficult problem.

The "infinite fractions between 1 and 2 which are not 3" is an example that shows that infinite =/= everything.

[–] vexikron@lemmy.zip -5 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I agree with you up to the last sentence.

I would say it is an analogy that is clumsy at best, and definitely not proof of anything about possible or impossible universes, as the OP presented it.

[–] CrayonRosary@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

All analogies are clumsy. It's an analogy, not a paper.

[–] ChairmanMeow@programming.dev 7 points 10 months ago

It's not a proof of possible/impossible universes, it's a counterexample to the argument that infinite universes must necessarily mean that there's a universe with anything in it. It disproves that there must be a universe with X in it because there are infinite universes. It does not disprove that there isn't a universe with X in it.

It makes no claims that the multiverse must necessarily be constrained, but it does show that you can't simply assume that the multiverse must be unconstrained. That needs to be proven first. And there are compelling arguments to assume that said constraints do exist (in some way).