QUANTUM IMMORTALITY
“Quantum” refers to the smallest possible discrete unit of a physical property, such as energy, momentum, or angular momentum and describes the behavior of matter and energy at atomic and subatomic scales, where phenomena like superposition and entanglement occur.
Quantum mechanics revolutionized physics by showing that particles, like electrons, can exist in multiple states simultaneously—a phenomenon called superposition—until observed or measured, at which point the wave function “collapses” to a single outcome. For example, an electron’s spin can be both up and down until measured. This probabilistic nature means outcomes aren’t predetermined but follow probabilities.
The Many-Worlds Interpretation, proposed by physicist Hugh Everett in 1957, offers an alternative to the wave function collapse. Instead of a single outcome, MWI suggests that all possible outcomes of a quantum event occur, each in a separate “branch” of the universe. These branches are parallel realities that don’t interact, creating an ever-expanding multiverse. For instance, if a quantum event has two possible results, the universe splits into two versions: one for each result.
Quantum immortality builds on the “quantum suicide” thought experiment, first formalized by physicist Max Tegmark in the late 1990s. Imagine a setup where a person points a gun at their head, rigged to a quantum device (e.g., measuring the spin of a particle). If the spin is “up” (50% chance), the gun fires and kills them; if “down,” it clicks harmlessly. Under MWI, the universe branches: in one branch, the gun fires and the person dies; in the other, it doesn’t, and they survive. From the person’s subjective perspective, they only experience the branch where they live, as consciousness can’t continue in the “death” branch. Repeating this infinitely, the person always perceives survival, no matter the odds.
Quantum immortality applies this idea beyond contrived experiments to everyday life and natural death. In the multiverse, at every moment where death is possible (e.g., due to accident, illness, or aging), there’s always at least one branch—however improbable—where you survive. Your consciousness follows only the surviving branches, creating the illusion of immortality from your point of view. Proponents argue this could mean you experience living indefinitely, perhaps becoming the oldest person ever in some branches, outlasting even the universe’s heat death. However, this is a philosophical interpretation, not empirically testable, and it assumes MWI is correct while ignoring issues like the degradation of consciousness or the fact that observers in other branches would see you die. Many scientists view it as speculative rather than scientific fact.
