This is an outdated version published on 2023-12-30. Read the most recent version.

THE MANY WORLDS INTERPRETATION OF QUANTUM MECHANICS IN SCIENCE FICTION.

Authors

  • Alexey Dodsworth Universidade Ca' Foscari de Veneza

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22409/poiesis.v24i42.61293

Keywords:

Quantum Mechanics, Fiction

Abstract

The existence of a multiverse made up of multiple perhaps infinite alternates has been seriously considered by physicists since 1957 when Hugh Everett III proposed the Relative State Formulation theory, also known as the theory of Universal Wave Function. Years later, Bryce DeWitt renamed and popularized Everett’s theory by calling it Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (MWI). This chapter intends to explain the MWI in more accessible words by demonstrating how this theory has been explored in several popular works of science fiction.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Alexey Dodsworth, Universidade Ca' Foscari de Veneza

Alexey Dodsworth Magnavita de Carvalho é pesquisador associado ao Departamento de Filosofia e Bens Culturais da Universidade Ca' Foscari de Veneza, representante dos grupos de estudo e pesquisa no Instituto de Estudos Avançados e Convergentes da UNIFESP, especialista em transumanismo e bioética, além de autor de ficção científica.

References

ABBOTT, Edwin. A. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions.

Mineola: Dover Publications, 1992.

ASIMOV, Isaac. The Gods Themselves. New York: Spectra,

AUGUSTINE. Confessions. Oxford: Oxford University Press,

BELL-VILLADA, Gene. H. Borges and his Fiction. Austin: University

of Texas Press, 1999.

BOHR, Niels. Niels Bohr Collected Works. Amsterdam: Elsevier,

v.1: Early Work (1905–1911).

BORGES, Jorge Luis. Ficções. São Paulo: Schwarcz, 2015.

BYRNE, Peter. The Many-Worlds of Hugh Everett III: Multiple

Universes, Mutual Assured Destruction, and the Meltdown of a

Nuclear Family. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.

CHIANG, Ted. História da sua Vida e Outros Contos. Rio de

Janeiro: Intrínseca, 2016.

DEUTSCH, David. The Fabric of Reality. Londres: Penguin Books,

DICK. P. K. The Man in The High Castle. Boston: Mariner Books,

EVERETT III, H. The Theory of The Universal Wave Function. In:

DEWITT, Bryce Seligman; GRAHAM, Neill (Eds.). The Many-

Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics. Princeton:

Princeton University Press, 2016, p. 1-140.

FREIRE JR, O.; FREITAS, F.; OSNAGHI, S. The Origin of The

Everettian Heresy. History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, v.

, n. 2. p. 97-123, 2009.

GARNETT, W. Letter to the editor. Nature. fev., 1920, p. 629.

KING, S. 11/22/63. Nova York: Scribner, 2011.

LEIBNIZ, G. W. Theodicy: Essays on the Goodness of God, the

Freedom of Man and the Origin of Evil. [S. l.]: Project Gutenberg,

LEINSTER, M. Sidewise in Time. London: Gateway, 2020.

LEWIS, D. On the Plurality of Worlds. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell,

MCDONOUGH, Jeffrey K. Leibniz on Natural Teleology and

The Laws of Optics. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research,

v. 78, n. 3, p. 505-544, may. 2009.

REES, M. Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces that Shape the

Universe. New York: Basic Books, 2001.

SHIKOVTSEV, E. Biographical Sketch of Hugh Everett III. [S.l. :

s. n.], 2003. Disponível em: https://space.mit.edu/home/

tegmark/everett/everett.html#e23 Acesso em: 7 jul. 2022.

WOLFMAN, M.; PÉREZ, G. Crisis on Infinite Earths. Burbank: DC

Comics, 1985.

Filmes e Séries

22.63. [Seriado]. Direção: Bridget Carpenter. Produção:

Stephen King et al. Estados Unidos: Warner Bros. Television,

son., color.

ANOTHER Earth. Direção: Mike Cahill. Roteiro: Mike Cahill; Brit

Marling. Produção: Mike Cahill; Brit Marling. Estados Unidos: Fox

Searchlight Pictures, 2011. son., color.

ARRIVAL. Direção: Denis Villeneuve. Roteiro: Eric Heisserer.

Produção: Shawn Levy et al. Estados Unidos: Paramount Pictures,

son., color.

MIRROR, Mirror (temporada 2, ep. 4). Star Trek: The Original

Series [Seriado]. Direção: Marc Daniels. Produção: Desilu

Productions, Estados Unidos, 1967. son., color.

STRANGER Things. [Seriado]. Direção: Matt Duffer; Ross Duffer.

Produção: Netflix, Estados Unidos, 2016. son., color.

THE MAN in the High Castle. [Seriado]. Criador: Frank Spotnitz.

Produção: Michael Cedar et al.. Estados Unidos: Amazon

Studios, 2015. son., color.

THE OA. [Seriado]. Direção: Brit Marling; Zal Batmanglij.

Produção: Brit Marling; Zal Batmanglij, Estados Unidos, 2016.

son., color.

v. 24 n. 42 (2023): Arte, ciência e movimento: do ancestral ao contemporâneo

Downloads

Published

2023-12-30

Versions

How to Cite

Dodsworth, A. (2023). THE MANY WORLDS INTERPRETATION OF QUANTUM MECHANICS IN SCIENCE FICTION. REVISTA POIÉSIS, 24(42), 77-98. https://doi.org/10.22409/poiesis.v24i42.61293

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 42 (2023): Science, Art, and Movement: from the Ancient to the Contemporary

Section

DOSSIER

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Alexey Dodsworth

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish in Revista Poiésis agree to the following terms:

  1. The authors keep the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication. The work is automatically licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which enables its sharing as long as the authorship and initial publication in this journal are acknowledged.

  2. Authors are allowed and encouraged to distribute online their work published in Revista Poiésis (in institutional repositories or in their own personal page), since this can generate productive interactions, as well as increase the impact and citation of the published work (See The Effect of Free Access).