The Multiverse Theory and Its Infinite Possibilities
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(Image Credit: Scientific American)
August 21, 2023
Benjamin Woo
11th Grade
Fountain Valley High School
Introduction
Our universe may not be the only one out there in the unending night sky. Many have proposed that other universes could exist and that our universe is simply one of many outside of the observable realm. However, is this idea actually true? Can such a proposal be substantiated? This article will explore the multiverse theory and some different interpretations of the seemingly absurd concept.
The Development of the Multiverse Theory
The earliest developments of the multiverse theory date back to a surprising 2,500 years ago. Such ideas are found in ancient Greek schools of philosophy, which described our physical world as being the way it is because of a sheer accident: atoms colliding in an infinite space. Due to this thought, the Greek philosophers concluded that there must be a countless number of other universes similar to ours, only with conditions less ideal to support life. The multiverse theory was also explored in Margaret Cavendish’s radical 1666 novel The Blazing World, which explores a woman’s travels, during which she learns of multiple universes. Though the book wasn’t necessarily written on any scientific premise, the idea that there are multiple universes sparked discussion amongst scientists and physicists.
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Religion also played an important role in the development of the multiverse theory through Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s Discourse on Metaphysics. An important question of what type of world God chose to bring into existence led to Leibniz’s belief in “possible worlds.” Through his eyes, God had a supply of many different worlds that all contained similar laws of physics and constants, but He could only choose one world out of the many that existed in his mind. Leibniz concluded that out of God’s goodness, he brought into our physical reality the best word, the one we live in currently. Through these different standpoints, numerous discussions arose about whether or not the existence of more than one universe is a legitimate possibility.
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The Modern Multiverse Theory
How did the multiverse theory come to fruition as we understand it today? Hugh Everett, a Ph.D. student at Princeton, came up with his independent idea of the multiple universes, even though it did have connections to previous renditions. Hugh Everett spoke of how the universe would “split” into multiple versions of itself, each with a different outcome when faced with quantum choices. To help better understand this theory, an analogy with an amoeba that would split into two daughter cells was used by Everett in his discoveries. Assuming amoebas had brains, the daughter cells that would arise from the amoeba splitting would each remember an identical past up until the point of splitting. From there, the daughter amoebas would each have their own memories, similar to the idea of the universe splitting into two or more similar universes up until the point of divergence. This idea was only possible with the development of quantum physics and the philosophy behind it in previous decades, and this theory from Everett spread massive amounts of attention to the possibility of a multiverse.
The Big Bang theory also contributed to the support of the multiverse proposal, albeit on a different basis. Due to the essentially unopposed Big Bang theory and recent discoveries in cosmology and quantum physics, the proposition that other Big Bangs could have occurred has recently risen in popularity. The proposal states in greater detail that when our universe was created from the Big Bang, other similar Big Bangs could have led to many distinct universes, together known as the multiverse. This specific theory of the multiverse stems from an answer to why our universe is life-sustaining. Since there are so many universes out there in the multiverse, at least one of the infinite universes must be capable of supporting life and consciousness by sheer chance, thus paving the way for our universe to be one of the lucky few.
As for the future of this topic, it cannot be guaranteed with certainty whether the multiverse theory can be proven to be legitimate or not. For now, we do not have decisive information that allows us to conclude the authenticity of the multiverse theory. This is due to the lack of actual physical evidence, and the case of the multiverse remains largely theoretical, at least for now. Figuring out where to start has not even been answered yet, leaving us with nowhere near an adequate method of testing the validity of the multiverse theory. Until substantial mathematical proofs are verified and physical evidence is found, it will not be likely that the multiverse theory can be proven, and this could take anywhere from the upcoming years to the next few millennia. The multiverse theory is a grand topic with many unanswered questions, but it gives us a possible answer to how our physical realm functions and exists as it is.
Reference Sources
Carr, Bernard. “Universe or Multiverse?” Academic.Oup.Com, 1 Apr. 2008,
https://academic.oup.com/astrogeo/article/49/2/2.29/246765.
Carter, Jamie. “Is The Multiverse Real? The Science Behind ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once.’” Forbes, 13 Mar. 2023,
Drake, Nadia. “What Is the Multiverse—and Is There Any Evidence It Really Exists?” Science, 14 Mar. 2023,
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/what-is-the-multiverse.
Gribbin, John. “The Many-Worlds Theory, Explained.” The MIT Press Reader, 15 Apr. 2021,
https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-many-worlds-theory/.
Sedacca, Matthew. “The Multiverse Is an Ancient Idea.” Nautilus, 30 Jan. 2017,
https://nautil.us/the-multiverse-is-an-ancient-idea-236401/.