- #1
apeiron
Gold Member
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Many of the debates on this forum boil down to the relation between the possible and the actual. Are they the same size or is the realm of the possible larger than the realm of the actual?
We see this in arguments over whether maths (taken as a map of all possible worlds) is larger than all actual worlds. So does math = reality or is math > reality?
The same fundamental question arises with the many world interpretations of quantum theory, with multiverse approaches to cosmology, and with information theoretic approaches generally (as in Turing and Tegmark).
1) So is anything that is possible, also going to be actual? Why?
2) Or is there always going to be more that is possible than can be actual? Why.
3) The third choice of course is more things are actual than are possible. That at least seems a safe one to reject.
We see this in arguments over whether maths (taken as a map of all possible worlds) is larger than all actual worlds. So does math = reality or is math > reality?
The same fundamental question arises with the many world interpretations of quantum theory, with multiverse approaches to cosmology, and with information theoretic approaches generally (as in Turing and Tegmark).
1) So is anything that is possible, also going to be actual? Why?
2) Or is there always going to be more that is possible than can be actual? Why.
3) The third choice of course is more things are actual than are possible. That at least seems a safe one to reject.