Greetings, fellow theorists. Your conspiracy theory consultant is back to unpack yet another superstitious hunch. This month’s segment covers something far more complex than the standard conspiracy theory, and it’s something that deeply fascinates me: The Multiverse. Scientists use the word 'multiverse' to suggest that beyond our universe, other universes may exist as well. The multiverse is a scientific model that describes all of existence as a collection of multiple universes that exist in parallel, high dimensions, or regions of space beyond the cosmos.
There are different interpretations of the multiverse. In this article, I will focus on the theory that there are an infinite number of parallel universes to ours, sometimes called the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. It predicts the presence of branching timelines or alternate realities in which our decisions play out differently. James Kakalios of the University of Minnesota quotes Hugh Everett and says, “Look, there’s actually an infinite number of parallel Earths, and when you do an experiment and you get the probabilities, basically all that proves is that you live on the Earth where that was the outcome of the experiment.”
Basically, there is no way of knowing how many planet earths there really are. There are no limits to the number of universes out there. Hypothetically, you can exist in these in these infinite parallel universes to our Earth with the exact same characteristics. The reason for multiple different timelines and versions of yourself lies within your decisions. Every day, you make hundreds of decisions; imagine if you changed just one of them. Each alternate choice creates a new branch and a new universe for your life. This creates the branching timelines that you may know from Marvel Cinematic Universe’s films and TV, such as Doctor Strange and Loki.
In the end, I don’t know if our entire lives are already planned out, and I don’t think we can realistically “hop” universes every moment of our lives, but this theory gives me reassurance and hope for my future. There is an infinite amount of opportunities in this life, meaning each decision I make really does matter. We are fortunate to live in a universe, on a planet perfect for human nature, so take advantage of the universe that is your reality. As Stanford University Physicist Andrei Linde says, “Reality exists independently of us.” You make your own reality. The only reality that’s perceptible to you is the one you inhabit.
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