Our Place in the Universe

http://www.makehasteslowly.com ^ | David Seargent, Ph.D.

[traditio]

Suppose a wing falls off an airplane. A committed multiple universe believer would say that even though this event may have a very low chance of occurring in this universe, the probability of its occurring an infinite number of times in an infinite ensemble of universes is unity. Our universe just happens to be one of the universes in which it occurs. But would this explanation satisfy the flight inspectors? The cause of the accident must be found within this universe, and whether it occurs in an infinite ensemble of other universes is irrelevant.

[Physicist]

Fine tuning bump.

"You see, there's no question whether Post Grape Nuts cereal is right for you. It's whether you're right for Grape Nuts." -- Wilford Brimley

[LiteKeeper]

SPOTREP

[Abcdefg]

Mental masturbator alert!

[fish hawk]

Excerpted-click for full article.

I would if I was in your universe. Over here we just don't give a damn.

[PatrickHenry]

Pinging only a select few (few dozen) from my list. It's a 20-page article, folks. Long read. Nifty if you like "Rare Earth" stuff.

[muir_redwoods]

There's a similar article in this month's on-line Scientific American about multiverses. By some theories, multiple universes is the only way to explain causality but I'm bothered about the though of an endless series of me eating that tainted potato salad at the picnic three years ago. I suppose, though, that in at least one of the universes I killed the SOB that made it.

[Aric2000]

I'll have to read the whole thing when I get home tonight.

Thanks for the ping!!

[Tom Bombadil]

but I'm bothered about the though of an endless series of me eating that tainted potato salad at the picnic three years ago.

According to the theory, only one of you may have chosen to eat the Potato salad. No tummy ache for the rest.

[NewRomeTacitus]

Alternate universes would explain why some dreams are ultra-realistic and entirely rational, unlike the majority created by the brain attempting to straighten out its file system. There's also the phenomenon of running across a person for the first time only to feel at a loss because your gut tells you you've known them for a long time.
A good take on this was the movie "The One".

[VadeRetro]

This one was readable and seemed fairly reasonable for a while. Then it degenerated to standard creationist Anthropic Principle stuff, then it started citing Hugh Ross (Reasons_to_Believe.org, OEC-ism for rabid anti-Es) all over the place ...

[Doctor Stochastic]

... the probability of its occurring an infinite number of times in an infinite ensemble of universes is unity.

At this point, one notices some innumerancy on the part of the author.

[stanz]

Thanks for this. I have e-mailed myself the link for the article at the office where I'll print it out and read it in installments. Sorry I can't discuss it right away.

[Moonman62]

There seems to be a common misconception that there is only one type of infinity and that it's all inclusive.

[AndrewC]

There seems to be a common misconception that there is only one type of infinity and that it's all inclusive.

Continuum Hypothesis bump

[traditio]

Please explain how the different types of infinity affect Seargent's argument.

[NewRomeTacitus]

Since I'm the "short bus" contributor here I'll presume:
just like anything concerning religion you just don't know. If we're lucky an afterlife of some positive meaning will be attained. If not you're not around to fret about it.
The recent articles about dark matter and dark space only point out that the more we learn the more we come to realize the depths of what we don't understand.
God does have a sense of humor because we are the perpetual mark in this game of Three Card Monte.

[stanz]

This one was readable and seemed fairly reasonable for a while. Then it degenerated to standard creationist Anthropic Principle stuff........

Exactly.What does F.R.A.S. mean in Seargent's title?

[PatrickHenry]

.What does F.R.A.S. mean in Seargent's title?

All I can find is Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society.

[stanz]

Thank you. I thought it might be a religious affiliation.