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The fact that you exist and are aware enough to believe anything at all is so stupendously unlikely that the only possible explanation is that you're living in
by noduerme 5y ago
The fact that you exist and are aware enough to believe anything at all is so stupendously unlikely that the only possible explanation is that you're living in one of the only universes where it's possible for you to live, and have consciousness; that's the only one you're conscious of, because it's the only one you can be conscious of.
Ultimately though, from the time you're born, the number of universes you can possibly exist in will get fewer as more and more branches lead to death. You'll only be aware of the ones you still survive in, of course, but those will probably include fewer and fewer people.
Eventually, you'll be the last living person. Lonely, miserable and immortal.
- trifit 5y agoPoetic, but you didn’t answer my question.
- noduerme 5y agowell yeah, I do. The alternative would be that this abomination is the only universe, and that's just stupid. [edit] It's not exactly an abomination, because there are waterfalls, birds, great books, galaxies, Miles Davis, and scotch whisky. But it's completely crazy to think this is the only way things could pan out.
- roystonvassey 5y agoAKA - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropic_principle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropic_principle
- noduerme 5y agoI know. I was so disappointed when I found out I wasn't the first person who deduced this from Everett. I still reserve the right to explain it in my own off-brand way. The part about fewer paths going forward, and what that implies about longevity and loneliness, is mine. I didn't get into my corollary, which is that the limitation of (un)consciousness in future dead paths must exert a reverse time pressure on present events.