QUANTUM METAPHYSICS - E-thesis

quantum theory directly offer its own mathematically elegant interpretation, as supporters of this
interpretation maintain? The many-worlds interpretation was presented by Hugh Everett, John
Wheeler’s doctoral student, in 1957 and it has subsequently enjoyed strong support, among
others from Paul Davies and David Deutsch. It arose in the context of cosmologists wrestling to
apply quantum mechanics to Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
The attractiveness of the many-worlds interpretation is often taken to be its ability to solve the
measurement problem - it is not necessary to handle observational and measurement situations in
a different way to other interactive influences, since the artificially-viewed projection postulation
is simply forbidden. Always when the theory predicts many possible results, all possibilities
given by the state function can be fulfilled, since reality can branch into different worlds in every
interactive situation. For example, if a measurement situation has five possible results, the
measuring equipment and system are developed into five quantum systems which differ from
each other only in the results shown by each of the measurement systems. Bruce de Witt
describes the situation as one in which each quantum transfer that takes place in each star, in
each galaxy, in each corner of the infinite universe, splits our earthly world into an uncountable
number of copies.
All interactions in Everett’s super-real world are of the same kind: two systems come together,
get correlated, and start to realise all their mutual possibilities. When the wave function is
assumed to represent reality itself, not just probability, every event that can happen does happen
in some corner of reality. When interacting, systems reveal all their mutual possibilities. Every
little ”could be”, no matter how improbable, is given its time to shine. While such a universe
differs radically from a clockwork mechanism, it cannot reveal anything truly surprising or
consciously alterable, since all events unavoidably follow from its own automatic progression.
Everett’s model attempts to portray reality in the classical manner – in an objective way from the
outside - and he is able to treat measurement devices and measurement acts fundamentally in the
same way as all other devices and acts. Strictly speaking, however, there are no real
measurements in Everett’s super-real world, only correlations. 673
In the many-worlds interpretation, people are in principle handled in the same way as other
objects. In some worlds I can accomplish things, or rather I am able to implement my greatest
hopes, while others contain my most awful dreams. Even though the super-reality postulated by
673 Herbert 1985, 173-175.
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