Re: Many Fermis Revisited

From: Tim May <tcmay.domain.name.hidden>
Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2003 19:19:48 -0800

On Sunday, January 12, 2003, at 06:54 PM, Russell Standish wrote:

(I'll limit myself to only commenting on the last, and most
interesting, point.)
>
>
> This is where I lose your argument. I can't see why an MWI
> communication capable civilisation should be able to spread throughout
> our universe any faster than a non-MWI communication capable one. And
> even if its true, all it does is place tighter bounds on how difficult
> it is to create such civilisations.
>

I agree that I didn't spend as much time as I could have on this point.

Consider what would happen if MWI communication/travel happened in our
timeline.

First, let's distinguish between what I'll "weak MWI communications"
and "strong MWI communications" (or travel, which is essentially
isomorphic to communication):

* Weak MWI communication. Strange, cryptic, ghostly sorts of
communications, somewhat like the "I Ching" pentagrams and fleeting
glimpses of "close" worlds in Dick's "The Man in the High Castle,"
Echoed in the James Hogan novel from 1997, "Paths to Otherwhere, and in
a time travel version in Greg Benford's "Timescape," where a
future/branch a century in the future attempts to communicate via
particle physics with the "present" to stop/alter an outcome.

* Strong MWI communication. Full communication with other branches,
including substantive exchanges of information. Heinlein's "Glory Road"
is a somewhat fantasy-oriented take on this, but the notion is clear:
"Queen of the Nine Billion Universes," etc.

Imagine what will happen if strong MWI communication happens in our
universe, our branch:

-- presumably access to all of the manifold knowledge from every
universe which has done science, engineering, etc.

-- vast amounts of technology (as some universes are "ahead" because
the Newtonian revolution happened in 535 A.D., etc.)

-- like a quantum computer, every calculation run a bunch of times,
answers already known

A summary of the Hogan book captures a bit of the impact:

"The well-worn sf notion of parallel universes receives a
computer-driven update in Hogan's latest novel. Berkeley research
scientists Hugh Brenner and Theo Jantowitz are just beginning to make
startling progress in siphoning information from other universes by
means of sophisticated computer technology when their funding
disappears. Fortunately but not fortuitously, they are recruited by a
secret Defense Department research arm to continue their work under the
umbrella of Project Octagon. Joined by a motley team of brilliant
minds, including a Buddhist philosopher, the two quickly develop the
means to shift their awarenesses to other versions of themselves in the
"multiverse" and to preview thereby future outcomes for their home
universe ..."


This is why is it seems reasonable to me that MWI communication would
dramatically a civilization's technology.

(Not saying this knowledge would cause them to colonize the
universe...maybe they'd give up in despair, or contemplate their
navels, whatever. But contact with 10^10^N other worlds sure could be a
kick in the pants, a kick that puts a civilization drastically ahead of
any civilization which is still evolving "unitarily.")

 From Hal's reference to Mike Price's document (which I read several
years ago, so I'd forgotten or had not read his bit about MWI and
Fermi), it looks like Price reached the same conclusion.

--Tim May
Received on Sun Jan 12 2003 - 22:20:19 PST