I think I completely agree with you. As you point out, one expects that there is a small but finite probability to have Boltzmann brain-like things pop up in th

I think I completely agree with you. As you point out, one expects that there is a small but finite probability to have Boltzmann brain-like things pop up in the universe. And if it did happen it would violate the second law, which is making a statistical statement. So my problem with the article (perhaps your comment should help to clarify) is that it attempts to start a discussion, involving some kind of anthropic principle/natural selection to resolve a paradox that doesn't exist in the first place. The body of the article states: >The usual resolution of the Boltzmann brain paradox is that we and our environment are the products of a long process of natural selection, which can produce complex and improbable outcomes without violating the laws of thermodynamics. >The Boltzmann brain paradox is that any observers (self-aware brains with memories like we have, which includes our brains) are therefore far more likely to be Boltzmann brains than evolved brains, thereby at the same time also refuting the selection-bias argument. If our current level of organization, having many self-aware entities, is a result of a random fluctuation, it is much less likely than a level of organization which only creates stand-alone self-aware entities. The authors of this article somehow turn a correct argument of the expectation value of the number of Boltzmann brains in an ensemble of universes to a claim that most brains in these universes must be Boltzmann brains. They do this without mentioning at all how to calculate the probability of non-Boltzmann brains (assuming the distinction is even valid). TO deal with the feeling of existential anxiety that they are left with at the worry they might be Boltzmann brains they then invoke a natural selection+ anthropic principle argument. As far as I can tell has very little to do with the concept as it was introduced by the cosmologists.