= 27d567bc2d48d9f40e9ccc20ea370b15)
Mitchell_Porter comments on Debugging the Quantum Physics Sequence - Less Wrong Discussion
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
= 783df68a0f980790206b9ea87794c5b6)
Loading…= b715d02e85f7b3b4ae65ca3d3e450868)
Subscribe to RSS Feed
Powered by Reddit
= f037147d6e6c911a85753b9abdedda8d)
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
Comments (129)
Exactly, that's not what this post was about. But I did want to present concrete evidence that the central argument is flawed.
I'm not sure that the project is worth the effort, since it seems clear to me that the whole QM sequence contradicts the central point of "Making Beliefs Pay Rent."
Even assuming all the physics in the QM sequence were perfect, I see no value comparing MWI to Copenhagen unless the difference matters somehow. That is, if the sentence "MWI is less wrong than Copenhagen" does not pay rent in anticipated experience, I'm unconvinced it is rational to have an opinion about the probability of that sentence. And if the sentence does pay rent in anticipated experience, why are we even thinking about which theory is more complex?
Until that issue can be resolved, searching for a particular scientific dispute to use as a case study is putting the cart before the horse.
MWI does make empirical predictions. E.g.: 'No Collapse interpretation will be empirically supported.' Thus far this prediction has been vindicated, even though Collapse interpretations, as a group, are verifiable. Of course, MWI has to share this glory with other alternatives to Collapse; but that's at best a reason to dismiss arguments between MWI and Bohmian Mechanics, not a reason to dismiss arguments between MWI and Collapse.
As for Heisenberg-style Copenhagenists... if you think it makes no difference whether we accept or deny their view, then it would seem most consistent to also consider it a matter of indifference whether we affirm, deny, or remain agnostic regarding the doctrine of Solipsism. And I don't think that's tenable; our experiences provide experiential evidence against the supposition that there's no reality transcending our immediate experience.