Worlds in the Everett interpretation
This is a discussion of how we can understand the world-view given to us by the Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics, and in particular the rôle played by the concept of 'world'. The view presented is that we are entitled to use 'many-worlds' terminology even if the theory...
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| Formato: | Journal article |
| Idioma: | English |
| Publicado em: |
2002
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| Resumo: | This is a discussion of how we can understand the world-view given to us by the Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics, and in particular the rôle played by the concept of 'world'. The view presented is that we are entitled to use 'many-worlds' terminology even if the theory does not specify the worlds in the formalism; this is defended by means of an extensive analogy with the concept of an 'instant' or moment of time in relativity, with the lack of a preferred foliation of spacetime being compared with the lack of a preferred basis in quantum theory. Implications for identity of worlds over time, and for relativistic quantum mechanics, are discussed. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. |
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