Re: zombie wives

From: <GSLevy.domain.name.hidden>
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1999 20:38:08 EDT

<<
George Levy writes
>
> This said, I find it difficult to talk about increase and decrease and
making
> comparisons of the measure when the quantity in question is infinite.
>
> Measure is not finite. This would violate the principle of plenitude and
it
> would require a reason for measure to be any particular size.
 

Russell Standish responds
 Remember we are restricting our attention to a self-aware subsystem
 (eg one called Russell Standish) of the Quantum Mechanics subsystem of
 the everything universe. The principle of plenitude can only apply to
 the whole everything universe, not to well defined subsystems like the
 MWI.
 
 Now the measure of Russell Standish is a finite quantity, and is
 calculated by the formula m_{RS}(t) = <\Psi(t)|P_{RS}|\Psi(t)>, where
 \Psi(t) is the wavefunction of the multiverse, and P_{RS} is the
 projection operator corresponding to Russell Standish. It doesn't
 matter that we don't exactly know what \Psi(t) or P_{RS} are - however
 they do exist as part of the MWI mathematical structure.
 
>>

Russell, you have made an interesting point. You have separated the concept
of plenitude from the MWI. According to you, the MWI is only a subset of the
Plenitude. I am not sure if I agree with this but the point is well taken. I
certainly think that the MWI is a manifestation of the plenitude. Why should
the MWI be of lesser size than the Plenitude? I don't have an answer for this.

You also maintain that "you" are "finite." Let us discuss the meaning of
"you" and "finite." What do you mean when you talk about the entity Russell
Standish. How much variations from the nominal point "Russell Standish as
described on August 27th at exactly 4PM Australian time, along the continuum
of the wave function are you willing to accept? Is Russell Standish on the
28th at 4 PM still Russell Standish? How about a variation of Russell that
never materialized in "our world" but is well and kicking on another branch
that separated at 6 PM on August 27th?

In fact I believe that Russell Standish exists in an infinite number of
variations just as there are an infinite number of points on a line between
two points A and B. Russell Standish is as infinite as the continuum, and in
fact there is a path along the Russell Standish continuum that eventually
becomes George Levy. So we are all in a sense related through all the
conscious points (locus of consciousness?) in the MW that separate us. :-)

George Levy
Received on Sat Aug 28 1999 - 17:52:40 PDT