Post by Webster on Jun 11, 2015 21:21:27 GMT -5
note: cross-posted over at Conversations
Got the idea for this thread from the convo over in Webster's Cage (i.e. the Shoutbox)....so, anyway, what is the Multiverse?
A little background from the ye' olde mighty Wiki:
Got the idea for this thread from the convo over in Webster's Cage (i.e. the Shoutbox)....so, anyway, what is the Multiverse?
A little background from the ye' olde mighty Wiki:
The multiverse (or meta-universe) is the hypothetical set of infinite or finite possible universes (including the Universe we consistently experience) that together comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, and energy as well as the physical laws and constants that describe them. The various universes within the multiverse are sometimes called "parallel universes" or "alternate universes".
The structure of the multiverse, the nature of each universe within it and the relationships among the various constituent universes, depend on the specific multiverse hypothesis considered. Multiple universes have been hypothesized in cosmology, physics, astronomy, religion, philosophy, transpersonal psychology, and fiction, particularly in science fiction and fantasy. In these contexts, parallel universes are also called "alternate universes", "quantum universes", "interpenetrating dimensions", "parallel dimensions", "parallel worlds", "alternate realities", "alternate timelines", and "dimensional planes", among other names. The American philosopher and psychologist William James coined the term multiverse in 1895 by in a different context.
The physics community continues to debate the multiverse hypothesis. Physicists disagree about whether the multiverse exists, and as to whether the multiverse is a proper subject of scientific inquiry. Supporters of one of the multiverse hypotheses include Stephen Hawking, Brian Greene, Max Tegmark, Alan Guth, Andrei Linde, Michio Kaku, David Deutsch, Leonard Susskind, Raj Pathria, Alexander Vilenkin, Laura Mersini-Houghton, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Sean Carroll.
In contrast, those who are not proponents of the multiverse include: Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg, Nobel laureate David Gross, Paul Steinhardt, Neil Turok, Viatcheslav Mukhanov, George Ellis, Jim Baggott, and Paul Davies. Some argue that the multiverse question is philosophical rather than scientific, that the issue of the multiverse cannot be a scientific question because it lacks falsifiability, or even that the multiverse hypothesis is harmful or pseudoscientific.
The structure of the multiverse, the nature of each universe within it and the relationships among the various constituent universes, depend on the specific multiverse hypothesis considered. Multiple universes have been hypothesized in cosmology, physics, astronomy, religion, philosophy, transpersonal psychology, and fiction, particularly in science fiction and fantasy. In these contexts, parallel universes are also called "alternate universes", "quantum universes", "interpenetrating dimensions", "parallel dimensions", "parallel worlds", "alternate realities", "alternate timelines", and "dimensional planes", among other names. The American philosopher and psychologist William James coined the term multiverse in 1895 by in a different context.
The physics community continues to debate the multiverse hypothesis. Physicists disagree about whether the multiverse exists, and as to whether the multiverse is a proper subject of scientific inquiry. Supporters of one of the multiverse hypotheses include Stephen Hawking, Brian Greene, Max Tegmark, Alan Guth, Andrei Linde, Michio Kaku, David Deutsch, Leonard Susskind, Raj Pathria, Alexander Vilenkin, Laura Mersini-Houghton, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Sean Carroll.
In contrast, those who are not proponents of the multiverse include: Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg, Nobel laureate David Gross, Paul Steinhardt, Neil Turok, Viatcheslav Mukhanov, George Ellis, Jim Baggott, and Paul Davies. Some argue that the multiverse question is philosophical rather than scientific, that the issue of the multiverse cannot be a scientific question because it lacks falsifiability, or even that the multiverse hypothesis is harmful or pseudoscientific.