The Quantum Doomsday Argument
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8399676 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alastair Wilson (0000-0003-3027-5016, Monash University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 597-615 |
| Publication date | 2017-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-0882 • E-ISSN: 1464-3537 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/bjps/axv035 |
| OpenAlex | W2189471601 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 30 |
If the most familiar overlapping (branching universe) interpretation of Everettian quantum mechanics (EQM) is correct, then each of us is constantly splitting into multiple people. This consequence gives rise to the quantum doomsday argument, which threatens to draw crippling epistemic consequences from EQM. However, a diverging (parallel universe) interpretation of EQM undermines the quantum doomsday argument completely. This appears to tell in favour of the diverging interpretation. But it is surprising that a metaphysical question that is apparently underdetermined by the physics should be settled by purely epistemological considerations; and I argue that the positive case for divergence based on the quantum doomsday effect is ultimately unsuccessful. I discuss how some influential treatments of Everettian confirmation handle the quantum doomsday puzzle, and suggest that it can most satisfyingly be resolved via a naturalistic approach to the metaphysics of modality. 1. Introduction2. The Doomsday Argument3. The Quantum Doomsday Argument4. Doomsday and Divergence5. Solutions to the Quantitative Problem6. Many Worlds and Modal Realism7. Conclusion
Argument (complex analysis) · Causation · Counterfactual thinking · Epistemology · Interpretation (philosophy) · Interpretations of quantum mechanics · Metaphysics · Physics · Quantum · Quantum dynamics · Quantum mechanics · Quantum process · Theoretical physics · Chemistry · Earth Systems and Cosmic Evolution · Philosophy · Quantum Mechanics and Applications · Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
A Subjectivist's Guide to Objective Chance
The Emergent Multiverse
Self-locating belief and the Sleeping Beauty problem
Quantum theory of probability and decisions
Quantum probability from subjective likelihood
Everettian rationality
On the Everettian Epistemic Problem
Understanding Deutsch's probability in a deterministic multiverse
Time, Quantum Mechanics, and Probability
An Empirical Critique of Two Versions of the Doomsday Argument – Gott's Line and Leslie's Wedge
Interpreting the many worlds interpretation
Everettian quantum mechanics without branching time
No Doomsday Argument without Knowledge of Birth Rank
No One Knows the Date or the Hour
Blurring Out Cosmic Puzzles
The Quantum Mechanics of Minds and Worlds
Defeating Dr. Evil with Self‐Locating Belief
Confirmation in a Branching World
Epistemology Quantized
Objective Probability in Everettian Quantum Mechanics
The Doomsday Argument without Knowledge of Birth Rank
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,25 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2024 (7) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |