I’ve always been a huge fan of sci-fi. Starting way back with the original Star Trek series, when Bill Shatner was younger, thinner and playing the delectable Captain James T. Kirk. I often ponder about parallel worlds, so one of the latest sci-fi TV shows – Fringe – is a definite fav. And, of course, when the X-Files premiered in Australia in the early 1990s (I think 1993?), I was stunned. What an amazing show.
Speaking of parallel worlds (or many-worlds interpretation), I studied this when doing my Masters in Chaos and Complexity Science. The course was based on quantum physics (aka quantum mechanics) and we covered parallel worlds. Why should there just be ONE universe? Why just ours? Why just one single unfolding history?
Why couldn’t there be all possible outcomes for any given event? Outcomes with their own universe, history and unfolding experiences. So in another universe or dimension there is another you but with an alternate history and life path. If there are all possible outcomes, then maybe dinosaurs that are extinct in our reality exist in another universe. Or the outcome of WWII was very different and Hitler conquered England and the Brits in that universe speak German (actually, I recall a novel using this notion).
There is a theory that our universe may be just one of many universes that populate a multiverse (a grander, hidden multiverse). And this multiverse, being infinite, means that other universes might be mere millimetres away from ours or separated by vast distances. And this theory suggests that there could be multiple versions of you and me. Each with a slightly different history or outcome. Think about death for a moment – you die in this universe but maybe you survive in another universe and live on. Freaky.
If you’re into contemplating this sort of thing, there’s a great book by Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist. It’s called Parallel Worlds: A journey through creation, higher dimensions, and the future of the cosmos. It’s a favourite book for me and I’ve read it countless times. Kaku is the co-founder of string theory, which suggests that all particles are actually tiny vibrating strings and they vibrate in a 11-dimensional multiverse.
Okay going off on a tangent now and probably boring you. What I wanted to do in this post was show you a fun photo I took of myself at the Auckland Art Gallery. One of the exhibits was a small room you could walk into. The room had mirrors and black and white geometric patterns. I thought I’d stepped into the 1960s – all psychedelic, wacky tobacky stuff that leads to mind-trips (not that I’ve ever had any).
But the photo reminds me of Star Trek’s warp drive. Sort of looks like I’m about to go into warp drive don’t you think?!
Up North 