On Sat, Nov 17, 2012 at 11:01:49PM -0800, Craig Weinberg wrote: > > > In a recent paper entitled > > “Nothing happens in the Universe of the Everett Interpretation”: > > http://arxiv.org/abs/1210.8447 > > Jan-Markus Schwindt has presented an impressive argument against the > > many-world interpretation of quantum mechanics. > > > > The argument he presents is not new, but, in my opinion, nobody ever > > presented this argument so clearly. > > > > In a nutshell, the argument is this: > > To define separate worlds of MWI, one needs a preferred basis, which is an > > old well-known problem of MWI. In modern literature, one often finds the > > claim that the basis problem is solved by decoherence. What J-M Schwindt > > points out is that decoherence is not enough. Namely, decoherence solves > > the basis problem only if it is already known how to split the system into > > subsystems (typically, the measured system and the environment). But if the > > state in the Hilbert space is all what exists, then such a split is not > > unique. Therefore, MWI claiming that state in the Hilbert space is all what > > exists cannot resolve the basis problem, and thus cannot define separate > > worlds. Period! One needs some additional structure not present in the > > states of the Hilbert space themselves. > > > > As reasonable possibilities for the additional structure, he mentions > > observers of the Copenhagen interpretation, particles of the Bohmian > > interpretation, and the possibility that quantum mechanics is not > > fundamental at all. > > > source <http://www.physicsforums.com/blog.php?b=4289>
Rather than Copenhagen observers, the many minds of Everett fits the bill. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Many-minds_interpretation As I see it - the argument is not new, and has been adequately addressed within the Everett framework. What surprises me are people like Deutsch sticking to their preferred bases... Cheers -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prof Russell Standish Phone 0425 253119 (mobile) Principal, High Performance Coders Visiting Professor of Mathematics hpco...@hpcoders.com.au University of New South Wales http://www.hpcoders.com.au ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
