The Multiverse –Madness or Material?

The Multiverse –Madness or Material?

By Leacsaidh Marlow

Pop culture is saturated with references to parallel universes or ‘the multiverse’. So frequently do our screens and books depict the existence of multiple worlds and existences beyond our own, but how likely is this possibility in real life?

As it turns out, many scientists would support the theory of a multiverse – although perhaps not in the sense that Marvel superheroes see it. No evidence has thus far been found which indicates the existence of any universes outside of the one which we inhabit and perceive, yet multiple modern scientific theories rely on this potential to explain many areas in cosmology and quantum mechanics which as yet aren’t understood. It’s important to note that being able to travel between alternate universes in the way that, for example, Spiderman’s multiple parallel egos do, is incredibly unlikely – but the possibility that these parallel egos do exist is far more likely. A theory called ‘inflationary cosmology’, which explains how the universe expanded rapidly following the Big Bang, has also been used to suggest that this ‘inflation’ could repeat exponentially in the same manner, forming many parallel universes.

All of these universes would not be visible to us, and may not have the same scientific properties, such as physical laws, that ours does. Furthermore, Everett’s 1957 ‘Many-Worlds Interpretation’ implies the existence of multiple worlds in the same space and time that our universe inhabits. His interpretation holds up against many quantum mechanical theories and can even be utilised to provide solutions to the ‘measurement problem’ (the issue of applying quantum rules to large systems like our universe) and issues of randomness in scientific observation.

This interpretation pertains not just to physical laws though – it is also applied to social understandings of parallel universes. By this understanding, there could be a separate ‘version’ of you in each parallel existence – living all the lives that you could’ve lived in this one if you had made different decisions. This is undoubtedly a fascinating concept but also potentially a very scary one. For many, the act of making decisions, especially large ones, can be paralysing. Often we are aware when deciding, for example, which university we wish to go to, that the choice we make is going to irrevocably change our lives. But what if it is true that a vastly different universe may exist, with a different ‘you’ living a different life, all because you decided to buy strawberry ice cream instead of chocolate one Thursday evening? It becomes infinitely harder to make these smaller decisions because you’re aware that even the tiniest of choices may set you down an immeasurably different life path.

Chaos Theory is a branch of study regarding underlying patterns and mathematical laws in seemingly ‘random’ systems. One aspect of this discipline is the Butterfly Effect, in which a small change in one state of a system can produce large changes in a later state. Often this term becomes used instead in a social context, to describe how tiny alterations in our own lives put us in significantly different situations further down the line. Very frequently, we find ourselves thinking about the people in our lives and how we’ve ended up becoming close to them in unexpected or unconventional ways. Someone who laughed over having the same pen as you in your year seven History class, may still cycle to Sixth Form with you when you’re both eighteen; someone from your accommodation block in first year sends you a card for your nineteenth birthday, and later will help plan your twentieth; someone who you saw around campus countless times without speaking to, now holds your hand as you walk down the street.

A term coined recently by the media as the ‘Invisible String theory’, referencing a ‘red thread of fate’ in East Asian folklore described in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre; “It is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame”; and later Taylor Swift’s invisible string from her album ‘Folklore’. The term has been used to suggest that the important people in your life were always meant to be there, and every little decision you made in your life up until the point you met them was somewhat ruled by determinism. Whether or not you believe in ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’, or instead believe that your choices are entirely your own, it’s certainly still an influential concept that your day-to-day decisions may shape who you marry, or who might still be your best friend in 40 years.

Scientists are largely unsure if there is any empirical way to test for the existence of universes external to our own – given their very nature would make them unperceivable to those who inhabit another – so their existence may never be more than speculation. However, current theories paired with ongoing mathematical and physical research may well provide a very compelling argument for the existence of realities separate from that which we can discern.

Thus, the various theories which suggest the existence of parallel universes may not only be integral in our understanding of physical and mathematical laws, but also in our perception of decision-making and the importance of the choices which we make. The discussion, therefore, holds both scientific and philosophical weight.