Theories we love and we try to understand

[Cute.Sid]

Originally Posted by Chicane

Parallel Universes

For example if i wereto meet with an accident and if i were to survive the accident in this world then there exists a parallel world in which the outcome would be the opposite i.e. i wouldnt.

Does this mean if a guy flunks his exam in this universe, he will still be a topper in the so called parallel universe

Requesting someone to shed more light on this topic. Till now I was under an impression that parallel universe has something to do with time differences.Like you might be 55 years old here but somewhere (in a parallel universe ), you are still a 4 year old enrolling up for kindergarten classes.

[the_egonomist]

Ah! Parallel Universes - the stuff most sci-fi movies are made off.

So what is a parallel universe? Simply put - there always exists a set of probabilities. Each probability represents a parallel universe. And considering that each probability exists at the time of each event, it would be safe to say that the person going through that event would be of the same age in each parallel universe.However, it is very much possible that a parallel universe identity could be dead, and yet in another universe the same person could be alive.


My take - there are infinite parallel universes. And where parallel universes intersect, there are people who are born that are very identical to the other. To clarify that:

What do Gandhi, Lincoln and Kennedy have in common? All were visionaries, statesmen and assassinated. Their personalities were common maybe because parallel universes could have overlapped. So is the case with many mythological and religious deities.

The best example to explain this would be - Consider our planet. Two kids with same parents, same upbringing but small differences could change them drastically.

Parallel universes are always fun to think about. When we make decisions we imagine how that would affect us, and that in truth is thinking of us in terms of a parallel existence.

Cheers.

[Chicane]

Originally Posted by Cute.Sid

Does this mean if a guy flunks his exam in this universe, he will still be a topper in the so called parallel universe

Requesting someone to shed more light on this topic. Till now I was under an impression that parallel universe has something to do with time differences.Like you might be 55 years old here but somewhere (in a parallel universe ), you are still a 4 year old enrolling up for kindergarten classes.

I guess its not only about time differences....there is the space element as well.
If you can visualize (and help me visualize as well ) a 4 dimensional space-time graph where in three dimensions are of space and one of time u would get a better idea...

So its not necessary that if at all prallel universes exist there would be a difference in time aspect only... it can include differences in location as well.

Also if i remember correctly the theory of relativity talks about the relation between time and space...

Assume a rectangle( it should be a quad.)....where the length is the time and breadth is the space....
Assuming u and i are viewing the same incident from different points of view....the length and time would vary for u and for me...
However, the area of the time and space rectangle would remain the same....

Take For example, u are sitting on a tree top and i am sitting at the base of the same tree along a road.
Now u see a car approaching towards u from the top of the tree but i cant see it. does it mean that the car does not exist?
As the car comes nearer to the tree i start seeing the car from the base as well....and when the car passes by and out of my sight....u sitting at the treetop can still see it.
So what was past present and future for me( first i couldnt see it, then i did and then couldnt again)....is still a continuous present for u because u can STILL see the car when i cannot ...

Jeez its confusing for sure

But that brings me to the question whether there is any connection between parallel universes and rebirth?

[esjay]

Originally Posted by Chicane

I guess its not only about time differences....there is the space element as well.
If you can visualize (and help me visualize as well ) a 4 dimensional space-time graph where in three dimensions are of space and one of time u would get a better idea...

So its not necessary that if at all prallel universes exist there would be a difference in time aspect only... it can include differences in location as well.

Also if i remember correctly the theory of relativity talks about the relation between time and space...

Assume a rectangle( it should be a quad.)....where the length is the time and breadth is the space....
Assuming u and i are viewing the same incident from different points of view....the length and time would vary for u and for me...
However, the area of the time and space rectangle would remain the same....

Take For example, u are sitting on a tree top and i am sitting at the base of the same tree along a road.
Now u see a car approaching towards u from the top of the tree but i cant see it. does it mean that the car does not exist?
As the car comes nearer to the tree i start seeing the car from the base as well....and when the car passes by and out of my sight....u sitting at the treetop can still see it.
So what was past present and future for me( first i couldnt see it, then i did and then couldnt again)....is still a continuous present for u because u can STILL see the car when i cannot ...

Jeez its confusing for sure

But that brings me to the question whether there is any connection between parallel universes and rebirth?

This car example is interesting. You actually unknowingly mixed up two remarkable theories one that of apriori by Kant and the other more popular one of Space Time with time being the 4th dimension. I am not sure if I am acting as a spoil sport by being more factual than romantic still I fell tempted to put some information regarding both of them (Groans are welcome). The second one first

Space Time (Time as 4th Dimension): Now this happens to be one of the most widely misunderstood theories. What forms the 4th dimension is not the time we feel passing away. The Time that we feel passing away is what is known as real time. The Time that forms the 4th dimension is actually imaginary time. The concept of Imaginary and Real time is same as that of Imaginary and Real numbers. To quote Stephen Hawking:
The three directions in space, and the one direction of imaginary time, make up what is called a Euclidean space-time
This imaginary time is actually as real as Real time. The concept is though quite difficult to understand. A pretty decent definition of this can be found here
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/newton/askasci/1993/physics/PHY45.HTM

Kant’s apriori: Prior to Kant it was generally believed that all the kind of understanding we develop is only because of our experiences of external world. David Hume claimed that a child who is born devoid of all the five senses would develop no understanding or knowledge of anything. Kant refuted the claim and said besides the senses we have an apriori knowledge that comes independent of any experience. To illustrate this imagine a pen lying on a table. Now while you blink I turn the pen by 90 degree. What you see now and what you saw earlier were two completely different images one was long and thin the other was wide and thin. But there’s something in you that tells you they both are one and the same. That is apriori knowledge. Computers don’t have it that’s why a finger print recognition machine requires you to place you finger in one particular orientation only. In the car example of yours both the viewers look at the same car. So even though one cannot see the car for sometime still his apriori instincts tell him that the car (or maybe the event) is the same one for both of the viewers.

On a lighter note since you happened to mention rebirth, as a kid I once asked my dad if the same souls of people who die enter new born babies the shouldn’t the population of the world remain constant?
Dont ask me what he replied.