AI ALIGNMENT FORUM
AF

Quantum Physics and Many Worlds

Aug 24, 2017 by Eliezer Yudkowsky

Quantum mechanics is our best mathematical model of the universe to date, powerfully confirmed by a century of tests. However, interpreting what the experimental results mean - how and when the Schrödinger equation and Born's rule interact - is a topic of much contention, with the main disagreement being between the Everett and the Copenhagen interpretations.

Yudkowsky uses this scientific controversy as a proving ground for some central ideas from previous sequences: map-territory distinctions, mysterious answers, Bayesianism, and Occam’s Razor.

14Quantum Explanations
Eliezer Yudkowsky
17y
0
10Configurations and Amplitude
Eliezer Yudkowsky
17y
0
13Joint Configurations
Eliezer Yudkowsky
17y
0
10Distinct Configurations
Eliezer Yudkowsky
17y
0
6Collapse Postulates
Eliezer Yudkowsky
17y
0
10Decoherence is Simple
Eliezer Yudkowsky
17y
0
4Decoherence is Falsifiable and Testable
Eliezer Yudkowsky
17y
0
13Privileging the Hypothesis
Eliezer Yudkowsky
16y
0
6Living in Many Worlds
Eliezer Yudkowsky
17y
0
6Quantum Non-Realism
Eliezer Yudkowsky
17y
0
1If Many-Worlds Had Come First
Eliezer Yudkowsky
17y
0
8Where Philosophy Meets Science
Eliezer Yudkowsky
17y
0
23Thou Art Physics
Eliezer Yudkowsky
17y
0
8Many Worlds, One Best Guess
Eliezer Yudkowsky
17y
0