Sam_B comments on Living in Many Worlds - Less Wrong

18 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 05 June 2008 02:24AM

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Comment author: Sam_B 05 June 2008 01:59:10PM 0 points [-]

Quantum immortality seemed to work when I was imagining my consciousness as a thread running through the many worlds, one that couldn't possibly enter a world where I was dead. But if I understand rightly, consciousness is not like this, it is not epiphenominal, it is not a thread that runs through one world and not the others, it is splitting along with the world around me and the rest of my body.

So if I undergo the classic 50/50 decaying radioactive particle + gun experiment, it would seem to me that I have a 50% chance of my consciousness surviving and a 50% of it going *ping* out of existence when the bullet pulverises my brain.

If that even makes sense, then I've managed to understand a lot more of the quantum mechanics and zombie sequences than I thought I had.

I was hoping someone would bring up quantum immortality because that was what came to mind at the end of the post. Shooting myself in the head, on the assumption that quantum immortality will make the gun jam every time, would be a great party piece but it would certainly count as a strange strategy.

Comment author: UnholySmoke 05 January 2010 04:15:59PM 3 points [-]

Just by the by, it might be a good party piece for you, but it would be a truly horrible party piece for half the people you performed it to.