On 3/26/2014 11:38 PM, LizR wrote:
OK, I suppose the argument makes sense, sort of (although it seems more likely to me that genes would act as though there is one universe whether that's the case or not, for reasons I already mentioned). Anyway let's assume it does, at least for the sake of argument, and see if it's coherent, if you'll pardon a quantum pun.
Interesting that in quantum mechanics coherent mean "interferes with itself" but in logic it means "doesn't contradict itself".
So the idea is that in a multiverse we - indeed all animals (and plants, etc) should plump for a reproductive strategy that is somehow equivalent to the "three descendants on a quantum coin toss" one.
I'd say it's coherent, but inapplicable because a universe where a species with strategy B occasionally gets wiped out, but those with strategy A don't is a very unlikely universe. But if universes were like that, so getting wiped out was correlated with reproductive strategy, then it's an interesting question whether 'natural selection' under MWI is different than for a single universe.
I guess my next question is, what could such a reproductive strategy possibly look like in real life, given that most animals have no access to quantum coin tossing?
I suppose you could look at the exigencies of life and mutation and reproduction as providing the quantum coin tosses. But I don't think it's realistic because getting wiped out as a species is more a question of ecological niche and sheer numbers than reproductive strategy.
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