Question about multiple reality/universe theories

Quill Works · Dec 15, 2017

I'd like to allude to a multiverse theory/philosophy in the story I'm working on, however I am not sure the one I'm looking for exists. Is there any theory, or similar theory, that discusses the possibility of two universes that are exact replicates of each other, meaning everything that is happening in one is also happening in another, but through some quirk, could potentially be accessed? I'll spare you the complicated details but the basics is that three people are being tossed between two different "realities," almost as if they are hopping from one place to the next, however they're bodies remain in one "reality", unconscious, while the other version is awake. This means that their unconscious body in, let's call it, World 1, could be carried, moved, etc while they are awake in World 2, and vice versa.
I have an explanation for the switching of realities (don't worry, I'm not using the switching reality thing as cutting corners for information - it's the whole point of the plot, as well as the conspiracy behind it) but I also wanted one of my characters, a conspirator, to mention a theory that resembles the situation they are in to give some form of a temporary possible explanation, even if it's not the right one.
With access to these two "realities", each with its own danger, they unravel a political conspiracy, seeing two sides of the same situation. It's important that this theory that the characters have adopted to believe allows that what they see to apply to both worlds so that they don't dismiss anything or don't consider the connection that's there.

Brightdreamer · Dec 15, 2017

When in doubt, make it up...

Off the top of my head, as a layperson, I can't think of a specific real-world theory like that, but I'm not an expert in multiverse theory.

I've seen the idea in a few books, most memorably K. A. Applegate's YA series Everworld; when the characters fell asleep in Everworld they snapped back to their real-world selves, which continued living - waking and sleeping - in our reality. Skirting spoilers, at the end of the series this dual existence begins collapsing.

Harlequin · Dec 15, 2017

Quill Works said:
I'd like to allude to a multiverse theory/philosophy in the story I'm working on, however I am not sure the one I'm looking for exists. Is there any theory, or similar theory, that discusses the possibility of two universes that are exact replicates of each other, meaning everything that is happening in one is also happening in another, but through some quirk, could potentially be accessed? I'll spare you the complicated details but the basics is that three people are being tossed between two different "realities," almost as if they are hopping from one place to the next, however they're bodies remain in one "reality", unconscious, while the other version is awake. This means that their unconscious body in, let's call it, World 1, could be carried, moved, etc while they are awake in World 2, and vice versa.
I have an explanation for the switching of realities (don't worry, I'm not using the switching reality thing as cutting corners for information - it's the whole point of the plot, as well as the conspiracy behind it) but I also wanted one of my characters, a conspirator, to mention a theory that resembles the situation they are in to give some form of a temporary possible explanation, even if it's not the right one.
With access to these two "realities", each with its own danger, they unravel a political conspiracy, seeing two sides of the same situation. It's important that this theory that the characters have adopted to believe allows that what they see to apply to both worlds so that they don't dismiss anything or don't consider the connection that's there.

It would be a variation of any setting which has an astral plane, dream world, parallel universe.

The universes can't be exactly alike, though, if their bodies are different on the different planes and they're seeing two different sides. Otherwise, what's the advantage to switching universes? As written, the reality-switchers would just be at a massive disadvantage compared to people who live normally in said universe, because they only have one set of consciousness, instead of two (assuming that all the same people populate both sides of the divide.)

In short, it can't be exactly like ours or there's no story, as there'd be no advantage to switching.

Also, from a philosophical point of view, swapping between identical universes means you haven't actually gone anywhere.

AwP_writer · Dec 15, 2017

From what I know (I'm no expert, but I read up now and then) there can't be another universe exactly like ours. Each universe is one of every possibility that can happen, so if it's exactly the same as ours, then it is ours. However, your idea can still totally work. Even though they can't be the same, the difference can be so minor as not to matter. In this universe, Abraham Lincoln was well known for his bowler hat.

MythMonger · Dec 16, 2017

Quill Works said:
I also wanted one of my characters, a conspirator, to mention a theory that resembles the situation they are in to give some form of a temporary possible explanation, even if it's not the right one.

Is this something like Stranger Thing's "upside down" theory which alluded to the Flea and the Acrobat? Is that what you're trying for?

I don't know of anything like that which refers to two universes being EXACTLY the same. You might have to just make it up.

ironmikezero · Dec 16, 2017

Multiverse theories abound in theoretical physics, but I caution you that it may be a bit of a rabbit hole--albeit a fascinating one.

I did something similar, based upon M-theory (Membrane Theory) in DOMAINE DELAFAIRE (Vol.1 of THE STEWARD series); multiple realms/universes offer similar, but not the same, geography, environments, etc. However, certain laws of physics may be subtly different in each realm (e.g., manipulation of energy and/or matter), something the characters involved must discern on their own.

The point is there is considerable diversity within the realm of theoretical physics, and any speculation, no matter how imaginative, is fair game--the more logical and comprehensive the rationale the better. You can cite any of a number of current theories as your essential explanation for your world-building. It may be a good idea to do a little more research, before you cite a particular theory and set your imagination free. I'd recommend you give the following sites a read. Whatever you decide, best of luck!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiverse

https://www.space.com/32728-parallel-universes.html

http://theconversation.com/the-theo...-maths-it-is-science-that-can-be-tested-46497

blackcat777 · Dec 16, 2017

Another important thing to consider is making sure the rules you decide upon are applied consistently everywhere throughout the book. You can make up anything and it will seem plausible if it's internally consistent.

indianroads · Dec 16, 2017

I believe the whole multiverse theory with universes spawned ad each decision point to be conjecture, just a fun mind game to compete with the determination theory. Since you’re dealing with unproven theories, I think you can write what you please.

Enlightened · Jan 6, 2018

The Flash (TV series on CW network in America) does something like you want, but each mirror of the character leads a completely different life on their Earth 2, Earth 3, and so forth.

RDArmstrong · Jan 6, 2018

I mean, if on world 1 they are unconscious and on world 2 they are awake then they can't possibly be replica worlds anymore. Or am I misunderstanding?

eschluessel · Jan 6, 2018

Your classic parallel worlds theory is the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. The difficulty with Many Worlds, though, is it produces too many parallel universes if you apply it accurately: you would have Our Universe, and the Universe Prime which differs only in that one electron a billion light years away went left instead of right, and the Universe Double Prime that differs by a different electron...

The only way at present to have multiple universes in SF without this problem is to go handwavy handwavy and make something up. What I went with in one story was, something like, some universes are more likely than others and the ones that are most likely, converge so you get distinct streams.

Lakey · Jan 6, 2018

Neal Stephenson’s Anathem develops a theory of consciousness in which neural tissue interacts with parallel universes; the detection of quantum interference patterns between these universes is basically what comprises thought, detecting and evaluating the relative likelihood of events by measuring how like or unlike they are to the universe you’re “in”. The book also includes a group of people who have taught themselves to manipulate consciousness (their own and others’) to change the primary universe that people perceive themselves to be in. So, for instance, the narrator, traveling with a man who has this skill, dies in a nuclear explosion one moment, and wakes up the next moment in a universe in which the nuclear explosion never happened.

The ultimate formulation of the idea is that rather than multiple universes, there exists a configuration space, a vast multidimensional space in which each point in the space represents a possible state of the universe at a possible moment in time. All possible states are represented, and all possible states are equally likely. Consciousness is an awareness of a particular, coherent path through this configuration space. The people with the power to manipulate consciousness know how to change the path, or move from one path to a neighboring path.

It’s a long book, but it’s so relevant to what you’re trying to do that you might want to make the investment. It happens to be one of my favorite books - I’ve read it at least half a dozen times despite its imposing length. The one thing to be careful of, if you’re mapping concepts from Anathem into general terminology, is that Stephenson doesn’t use Earth terms to describe the concepts he’s talking about, because his story takes place on a different world. So for instance, what he calls “Hemn space,” after a scientist named Hemn in his story, is probably called “phase space” in our world.

indianroads · Jan 6, 2018

If you crossed over into another universe that was exactly the same as ours, would you know it? I can't see how you would.

Dennis E. Taylor · Jan 6, 2018

eschluessel said:
Your classic parallel worlds theory is the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. The difficulty with Many Worlds, though, is it produces too many parallel universes if you apply it accurately: you would have Our Universe, and the Universe Prime which differs only in that one electron a billion light years away went left instead of right, and the Universe Double Prime that differs by a different electron...

This is the most common image of the Many Worlds interpretation, that it produces new complete universes on every "decision." In fact, that's not required. If you flip a coin down in Florida, it's probably not going to affect me up here in Vancouver. So, there might be two of you for a while, each with a different memory of how the coin came down, but the two you's share the rest of the universe -- the part that isn't affected by your flip. If you do absolutely nothing about the flip and subsequently forget about it entirely, then even the two you's lose uniqueness and merge.

Think of it as every particle in the universe having a number of different states, depending on which universe is being referenced. There's still only any one particular particle--it isn't duplicated. It's just in one of several different states, depending on which version of the universe is being referenced.

eschluessel · Jan 7, 2018

Dennis E. Taylor said:
Think of it as every particle in the universe having a number of different states, depending on which universe is being referenced. There's still only any one particular particle--it isn't duplicated. It's just in one of several different states, depending on which version of the universe is being referenced.

Superposition of states isn't Many Worlds, it's Copenhagen.

stephenf · Jan 7, 2018

Hi
You seem to have your own ideas forming nicely . I believe if you start researching the various theories of multiverse , you will just be diverted with a unsatisfactory conclusion. Some claim to have evidence the multiverse exists , when others believe the idea is nonsense. In fiction , all things are possible. The hard part is making it believable.

chracatoa · Jan 7, 2018

My unpublished book has two parallel universes. Aliens did it. Arthur Clarke said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Dark Matter by Blake Couch has (1) infinite universes and (2) a device to travel through them that follow some rules. How did (2) happen is irrelevant.

stephenf said:
In fiction , all things are possible. The hard part is making it believable.

The make-believe part is important but not the most important part. As long as the story is interesting, we'll read it. There's a ton of books and movies that break the suspension of belief but the story is so good that you keep reading. In the Walking Dead, for instance, the Zombies are just a plot device. The story is about characters.

The movie Armageddon is completely unbelievable and, yet, it made a lot of money. Granted, it has a 39% rating on rotten tomatoes.

Question about multiple reality/universe theories

Quill Works

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist

Harlequin

Eat books, not brains!

AwP_writer

MythMonger

Willing to Learn

ironmikezero

practical experience, FTW

blackcat777

indianroads

Wherever I go, there I am.

Enlightened

Always Learning

RDArmstrong

eschluessel

Lakey

professional dilettante

indianroads

Wherever I go, there I am.

Dennis E. Taylor

Get it off! It burns!

eschluessel

stephenf

chracatoa

COG: Sometimes, Heaven is Overrated