Are Parallel Universes and Extra Dimensions Real?
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Our books, our movies\\u2014our imaginations\\u2014are obsessed with extra dimensions, alternate timelines, and the sense that all we see might not be all there is. In short, we can\\u2019t stop thinking about the multiverse. As it turns out, physicists are similarly captivated.
In The Allure of the Multiverse, physicist Paul Halpern tells the epic story of how science became besotted with the multiverse, and the controversies that ensued. The questions that brought scientists to this point are big and deep: Is reality such that anything can happen, must happen? How does quantum mechanics \\u201cchoose\\u201d the outcomes of its apparently random processes? And why is the universe habitable? Each question quickly leads to the multiverse. Drawing on centuries of disputation and deep vision, from luminaries like Nietzsche, Einstein, and the creators of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Halpern reveals the multiplicity of multiverses that scientists have imagined to make sense of our reality. Whether we live in one of many different possible universes, or simply the only one there is, might never be certain. But Halpern shows one thing for sure: how stimulating it can be to try to find out.
Shermer and Halpern discuss: definitions of universe and types of multiverses \\u2022 Is the multiverse science, metaphysics, or faith? \\u2022 theists claim the \\u201cmultiverse\\u201d is just handwaving around the God answer \\u2022 many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics? \\u2022 inflationary and Darwinian cosmology \\u2022 infinity and eternity \\u2022 multiple dimensions \\u2022 string theory \\u2022 cyclical universes \\u2022 Big Bounce \\u2022 Anthropic Principle (weak, strong, participatory) \\u2022 time travel \\u2022 sliding doors, contingency, and the multiverse.
Dr. Paul Halpern is the author of 18 popular science books, exploring the subjects of space, time, higher dimensions, dark energy, dark matter, exoplanets, particle physics, and cosmology. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship, and an Athenaeum Literary Award, he has contributed to Nature, Physics Today, Aeon, NOVA\\u2019s \\u201cThe Nature of Reality\\u201d physics blog, and Forbes \\u201cStarts with a Bang!\\u201d He has appeared on numerous radio and television shows including \\u201cFuture Quest,\\u201d \\u201cScience Friday,\\u201d \\u201cRadio Times,\\u201d \\u201cCoast to Coast AM,\\u201d \\u201cThe Simpsons 20thAnniversary Special,\\u201d and C-SPAN\\u2019s \\u201cBookTV.\\u201d He appeared previously on the show for his book Synchronicity: The Epic Quest to Understand the Quantum Nature of Cause and Effect. His new book, The Allure of the Multiverse, describes the controversial history of higher dimensional and parallel universe schemes in science and culture.
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