If we live in a world with possibly infinite realities, and infinite space, doesn't that mean that there is an chance that anything could happen?
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1Thermodynamics makes a lot of those possibilities really unlikely. Like, really really. So we are left with mundane stuff like rocky and gas giant planets, stars, galaxies, black holes...– Scott RoweCommented Mar 23 at 1:48
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Determinism.– XeonCommented Mar 23 at 10:20
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@Xeon I think determinism is too unlikely to be true. What are the odds?– Scott RoweCommented Mar 23 at 11:35
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Does this answer your question? Does the future always arrive?– GerryCommented Mar 31 at 1:34
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5 Answers
"Infinite possibilities"??
In what way? This is the periodic table in a non-standard layout that is in some ways better... it shows the completeness of the set.
And they spring from the underlying "quantum particle zoo".
If you go to the cupboard intent on baking something, and the only thing in the cupboard is flour... you have extremely few options or potential results.
If you have eggs and milk and sugar, your options open up somewhat.
If you have a variety of diced fruits, diced veggies, sliced meats and cheeses, your potential combinations increases yet again, you can select from a greater variety of dishes to prepare. But definitely not "infinite". I think all would agree.
Now... put together those two observations... the particle zoo and the table of elements... they are like the "flour, and sugar, and cinnamon, and paprika, etc in the cupboard. They are each a complete set. One complete set being the maker and cause of the other complete set, which in turn means there is a predictable "complete set of possible combinations, ratios, percentages, states, etc.
The possibilities are huge.
The possibilities are not infinite.
And at the end of the day, or year, all humans will be where the Earth is (or dead en route)... the "infinite possibilities" don't include you escaping Earth.
A huge variety of possibilities... but not an infinitely sized ingredient cupboard, and not an infinite number of resulting combinations.
answered Mar 23 at 13:55
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1<3 Periodic Table <3 - 92 elements, made of 3 things, endless variety of matter (not 'infinite'). 88 keys on piano keyboard, made of tones, semitones and silence, endless variety of music. Generativity. Commented Mar 24 at 14:27
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In this list of 88-note greatest hits of infinite variety... where do the 89-note songs go? and if one of the songs is an infinite repeating of c#, when is there time to hear the song that is an infinite repeating of b-flat? The one possibility precludes the opportunity for the other to exist, doesn't it? I think "infinite possibilities" is a bigger box than it first appears to be... like stepping into a Tardis. (Dr Who). Commented Mar 24 at 16:33
No, it is possible for a system to have an infinite degree of freedom in certain respects but be constrained in others. For example, there are infinite integers, but no fraction formed of any pair of them is equal to pi. In the real Universe, for example, we seem to have a constraint that nothing can move faster than the speed of light, which applies whether or not the Universe is infinite.
There are no infinite possibilities. These possibilities are closely linked with mind games and only a few have been capable of utilizing them. So for people like us, there are only limited possibilities. Unlimited possibilities do exist for us but only in dreams with no reality.
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1Please expand on "mind games"? We might be thinking of the same thing. Commented Mar 23 at 1:46
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1This is my personal experience. I have always been attracted to what I have thought in my mind. I worked hard to bring positivity to my life. I know it is weird but our mind is really powerful. Commented Mar 23 at 6:49
If we live in a world with possibly infinite realities, and infinite space, doesn't that mean that there is an chance that anything could happen?
Suppose a coin flip exists in infinite realities and infinite space:
How many different outcomes of the coin flip are possible? It's either heads, tails, lands on edge, or can't be determined (the coin goes down a drain and can't be seen, coins dont exist in some realities, etc.). That's only 4 possible choices even though there are infinite realities.
Infinite realities does not necessarily mean infinite possibilities unless violating the known laws of physics is a possibility.
answered Mar 23 at 3:32
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1Most of the universe is pretty boring. Larger and older wouldn't alter that much. That said, there have been some pretty weird lifeforms on Earth. Commented Mar 23 at 11:26
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1@ScottRowe It's true there have been some strange life on earth there is plenty of diversity. At the same time, there is undeniable commonality: An organism can have multiple eyes, yet an inordinate number of mammals have just two eyes. Not a gaussian distribution of numbers of eyes. Commented Mar 23 at 19:59
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Once something works, alternatives have a tougher time getting started. "Nothing succeeds like Success." Bilateral symmetry was a pretty early innovation. So then odd numbers of limbs, etc seem awkward. Starfish are radial symmetry, and 5 is one of the lower Fibonacci numbers that fill the niches. Look at a seedhead, or a pineapple. Octopus is pretty ideal: one brain for each limb, and one brain to rule them all. Commented Mar 24 at 14:09
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Also rapidly decreasing benefit for having more eyes? 2 cover basically the entire sphere in many birds, rabbits etc. How would more help at all? Network effects: increasingly more brainpower required to integrate more inputs. Commented Mar 24 at 16:11
If you are running a sophisticated computer simulator - "Can anything happen"?
Yes. While preserving logic and rules, you can change data. For example, you can change the past, restart from a previous point in history, change the characters and their behavior.
answered Mar 22 at 23:42
TheMatrix Equation-balanceTheMatrix Equation-balance
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1There are certainly some things I would change in the past. Would beings that are actually simulating us right now ever let us make changes when we realized our mistakes and knew better? But, if you could change things and entire swaths of human experience might appear and vanish, would it really matter? Have you seen the movie, "Arrival"? Commented Mar 23 at 11:22
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1@ScottRowe - Yes, I saw this movie. When discussing the possibility of a computer simulator, most people are trying to analyze from their point of view. But you need to get into the heads of the creators instead. For example, if you have the technical capacity to build such a simulator, what would you build it for? By running multiple simulations, you could predict possible scenarios for the future of the human race. Or, you could create it for entertainment, so you could go in as a God and enjoy yourself. Commented Mar 23 at 15:40
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I recommend the book "Caste". Also the Star Trek episode where someone says, "They're beings, Trelane." Commented Mar 24 at 13:55