[ExI] teachers

efc at swisscows.email efc at swisscows.email
Sun Aug 27 21:32:41 UTC 2023


Thank you Jason, makes much more sense now, and I think that I'm not too 
far off the mark when it comes to theory vs proof vs method.

But as you can tell, I tend to be annoyingly agnostic sometimes. ;)

> I agree. The universe, or reality, being bigger than we previously thought, in no way diminishes our central role as observers to
> that reality. If anything it makes us even more special, rare, unique, and important. (E.g., consider the 10^122 dead universes out
> there for every one that can support life), and how much more precious that makes this universe, and this planet.

Being annoyingly agnostic, I love the fact that there is so much we
still don't know, and I am looking forward to all the scientists who
will enlarge our sphere of knowledge and awareness of ourselves and our
position in the universe.

At the same time I find it hard to understand people who feel that
everything needs an answer right now, no matter the cost, and as a 
last resort make up answers.

Oh, and just so you don't understand me, that was a jab against religion
and not theorizing and and doing philosophy. ;)

Best regards, 
Daniel


> 
> Jason 
> 
>  
>
>       Best regards,
>       Daniel
> 
>
>       On Sun, 27 Aug 2023, Jason Resch via extropy-chat wrote:
> 
> 
>
>             On Sunday, August 27, 2023, <efc at swisscows.email> wrote:
>                   Thank you Jason,
>
>                   So would that imply then that there is no true randomness and that it is only because our limited point
>             of view, that it
>                   looks random? 
> 
>
>                   There is a "meta level" of machinery kind of?
> 
>
>             Yes, super determinism says there are hidden variables, determined by machinery we can't access, but
>             moreover, everything we do to
>             try to measure these hidden variables, by whatever processes we choose, flipping coins, picking numbers in
>             our head, using digits of
>             Pi or e, using pseudorandom number generators, anything, whatever we pick and whatever method we choose, the
>             universe will choose
>             hidden variables such that they will yield the Bell probabilities giving the false appearance of random
>             quantum collapse, where there
>             are not. But if this is true, and if we use constants in math like Pi or e, or SQRT(2), to choose how to set
>             the rotation of a
>             polarizing filter when measuring two entangled photons, then somehow the universe must have known that you
>             would be using, say, the
>             digits of SQRT(2) when it created the entangled photons years earlier before you measured them. So that in a
>             sense, the photon pair
>             creation event must have known how you would be measuring them, and then generated them in a way that would
>             yield the expected
>             quantum probabilities. It would also know you wouldn't in the last moment, change your mind to use the digits
>             of Pi to choose the
>             angle of rotation for the polarizing filter. Super determinism is the idea that the whole universe is a
>             conspiracy to make us falsely
>             believe in quantum probabilities.
> 
>
>              
>
>                   Sorry if I'm not making sense, it is because I did not understand the example. ;)
> 
> 
> 
>
>             If it's hard to understand it's because it's so hard to believe anyone would propose this as a serious
>             theory, but that's the length
>             the center of the universe or solar system, at least I think it comes from the same place).
>
>             Jason
>
>              
>
>                   Best regards,
>                   Daniel
> 
>
>                   On Sun, 27 Aug 2023, Jason Resch wrote:
> 
> 
>
>                         On Sunday, August 27, 2023, efc--- via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>                               Thank you very much Stuart, I was just about to ask for a book and you already thought of
>             that.
>
>                               But what about superdeterminism?
> 
>
>                         In my view this is the worst of all possible interpretations. It is the theory that the laws of
>             physics are
>                         conspiring to always fool
>                         us. (Something like Descartes's evil demon). For example, if we choose to do a Bell experiment
>             and set our
>                         orientations according to
>                         some random sequence, super determinism says the correlations of the particles are also
>             determined by the
>                         same processes that drive
>                         the random number generator we use to set our orientations.
>
>                         Okay, this is weird, but not logically impossible.
>
>                         But now consider if we set our orientations according to the digits of Pi, did the processes that
>             determine
>                         particle orientations
>                         also determine the digits of Pi? At this point I think super determinism is no longer defensible.
>
>                         Jason 
> 
>
>                          
>
>                               Wouldn't that also be one of the better "candidates" even though it goes
>                               against our intuition?
>
>                               Best regards,
>                               Daniel
> 
>
>                               On Sun, 27 Aug 2023, Stuart LaForge via extropy-chat wrote:
>
>                                     On 2023-08-26 15:17, efc--- via extropy-chat wrote:
>                                           Hello Stuart,
>
>                                           Just a quick question from someone not very knowledgeable of cutting
>                                           edge physics.
>
>                                           You say that
>
>                                                 If you believe that a copy of you can truly be you, then you can relax
>             because you
>                                                 are already immortal. You don't need to copy yourself because there are
>             already
>                                                 plenty of, if not infinite numbers of, you strewn about the multiverse.
> 
>
>                                           What I wonder is, are infinite numbers of you and multiverses supported by
>             proof or is it
>                         one of
>                                           many interpretations of current theories?
>
>                                           Best regards, Daniel
> 
>
>                                     Hi Daniel,
>
>                                     It is not proven in a mathematical sense, but many worlds (MWI) is the only
>             interpretation of
>                         quantum
>                                     mechanics that is complete. All that you need for many worlds to be true is that the
>             Schrodinger
>                         equation be
>                                     true. The alternatives require extra stuff.
>
>                                     For example, collapse interpretations need an additional mechanism by which
>             measurement can
>                         somehow cause a
>                                     quantum particle that is spread out everywhere at once to suddenly be somewhere
>             specific at
>                         faster than the
>                                     speed of light. It requires consciousness to be a fundamental property of the
>             universe in the
>                         sense that like
>                                     the next level of videogame, nothing is rendered into reality until you look at it.
>             Basically, if
>                         collapse
>                                     interpretations are real, then we are very likely in a simulation run by some
>             intelligent
>                         designer who is
>                                     trying to save computational resources by not rendering anything into reality until a
>             simulated
>                         person
>                                     interacts with it.
>
>                                     Many worlds allows particles to always be everywhere at once because wherever the
>             particle is,
>                         there is a
>                                     separate you there to witness it there.
>
>                                     The other alternative is the DeBroglie-Bohm pilot wave interpretation which require a
>             second
>                         equation that
>                                     describes how the wave function is a pilot wave that pushes a particle along its path
>             to be true
>                         in addition
>                                     to the Schrodinger wave equation which describes the wave function.
>
>                                     So to summarize:
>                                     1. Copenhagen/collapse interpretations needs additional assumptions about the laws of
>             physics
>                         requiring
>                                     conscious observers in order to function properly. Trees do not fall in the woods or
>             make noise
>                         unless you
>                                     are there to appreciate it.
>                                     2. Debroglie-Bohm Pilot Wave: This interpretation requires additional "helper"
>             equations to allow
>                         quantum
>                                     mechanics to function by keeping track of hidden variables.
>                                     3. Superdeterminism: everything that happens including your own thoughts and
>             decisions are
>                         unerringly
>                                     following a script that has existed from moment of the big bang.
>
>                                     Or . . .
>
>                                     4. MWI: The Schrondinger wave equation is all you need and there is enough real
>             estate out there
>                         to cover
>                                     every possibility that the wavefunction entails.
>
>                                     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxvQ3Wyw2M4
>
>                                     Sean Carroll does an excellent job covering this in his various You Tube videos or
>             his book
>                         "Something Deeply
>                                     Hidden". I generally don't believe we live in a simulation and therefore prefer many
>             worlds over
>                         conscious
>                                     collapse theories, but every once in a while nature throws me a curve ball that makes
>             me adjust
>                         my posterior
>                                     probabilities like this:
>                         https://www.npr.org/2023/08/17/1194212940/question-mark-space-webb-telescope-photo
>
>                                     I hope that helped.
>
>                                     Best regards,
>                                     Stuart LaForge
> 
> 
>
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