Death is the inescapable conclusion of life. But what happens after death is still a highly debated topic. Throw into the mix a heady combination of religious belief and scientific theories, and you have the potential to create an endless array of possibilities. One intriguing notion is called quantum immortality. Imagine that the universe splits into countless parallel realities after any small event. Now, say for example, you end up in an accident. In the quantum immortality theory, there will always be one version of reality where you survive, and this is the reality your consciousness keeps experiencing. While it sounds like an appealing theory, it is purely hypothetical and highly debated. Let’s find out where the theory originated, how it developed, and the differing opinions on its validity.
What Is Quantum Immortality?
Quantum immortality originally stems from the Many-Worlds Interpretation (MWI) in quantum physics. In MWI, the universal wavefunction ceases to collapse, which means that all possible outcomes of quantum events occur in different branches of reality. Imagine a tree that is constantly splitting off into different branches every time something uncertain occurs. Therefore, according to this claim, if a potentially lethal event occurs, there will be at least one branch where you do not die. From the perspective of your consciousness, you would only be aware of the version in which you continue living. Therefore, your experience would never end, and you would, in essence, be immortal.
The roots of this idea can be traced back to Hugh Everett III. In 1957, Everett first proposed the concept which we now refer to as the Many-Worlds Interpretation. He suggested that the entire universe can be described by a single wave equation that never collapses. The many worlds idea was later popularized by physicist Bryce DeWitt in the 1970s.
However, Everett never mentioned anything about immortality in how own work, with that idea only surfacing decades later. Various versions of the quantum immortality idea emerged in the mid to late 1980s and were discussed by individuals such as Euan Squires, Hans Moravec, and Bruno Marchal. So, while the Many-Worlds concept is still widely discussed by physicists, the quantum immortality idea is a recent addition considered fringe by many experts.
Read More: Death Doesn’t Exist And May Just Be An Illusion, According To Quantum Physics
What the Critics Say
Critics of the idea of quantum immortality, however, state that even if there are branches where you survive, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will live forever. In the world of physics, outcomes carry weights that basically serve as probabilities. While there may be branches where you constantly beat the odds, they would have very small weight compared to the typical branches where events go as they would be expected to do. So, even if the small chance of it happening exists, it doesn’t mean there is a good chance that it will happen to you over and over again.
Therefore, even in the Many-Worlds scenario, scientists argue that a typical observer would not experience never-ending survival. Your usual experience across all possible branches would mostly track along high-measure outcomes, which typically include dying. Another issue is the mixing of hypothetical and spiritual concepts.
The idea of quantum immortality relies on the premise of the continuity of consciousness from one branch of reality to another. This requires a metaphysical assumption that there is an enduring aspect of yourself that can hop between branches. MWI, on the other hand, does not contain such a mechanism and simply describes the evolving states of the branches.
Another aspect that critics of the quantum theory bring up is the issue of slow death. There are many examples of people who slowly degrade over the course of a few months or years. In this case, the person might lose consciousness gradually, which creates a huge problem for the idea of quantum immortality. Where would the various parts of your consciousness go during this intermediate period? Would it spread across multiple realities as you gradually lose consciousness and then bridge to one at some point?
The Bottom Line
While the idea of living forever is indeed a tantalizing one, the idea of quantum immortality presents many challenges. For one, the theory is almost impossible to prove. Until we have developed some way of hopping between branches, choosing the realities we prefer, and returning with evidence, it will remain a fanciful idea that is more fiction than fact.
Even if we take the Many-Worlds scenario as a given, the chances of continuously finding yourself on the path with the least probability of dying are minuscule. On the upside, there are many choices that you make in your daily life that impact the outcome of your life. They involve what you eat, how much exercise you get, and the quality of your sleep. These are all daily choices that move you from one possible outcome to another.
Read More: Woman Says Death Is An Illusion After Being Dead for 8 Minutes