Philosophical Implications of Inflationary Cosmology
Knobe, Joshua and Olum, Ken and Vilenkin, Alexander (2003) Philosophical Implications of Inflationary Cosmology.
There is a more recent version of this eprint available. Click here to view it.
Full text available as: |
Abstract
Recent developments in cosmology indicate that every history having a nonzero probability is realized in infinitely many distinct regions of spacetime. Thus, it appears that the universe contains infinitely many civilizations exactly like our own, as well as infinitely many civilizations that differ from our own in any way permitted by physical laws. We explore the implications of this conclusion for ethical theory and for the doomsday argument. In the infinite universe, we find that the doomsday argument applies only to effects which change the average lifetime of all civilizations, and not those which affect our civilization alone.
| Keywords: | Inflation, Cosmology, Philosophy of Physics, Doomsday, Ethics. |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences: Physics: Cosmology General Issues: Ethical Issues Specific Sciences: Physics: Quantum Mechanics |
| ID Code: | 1149 |
| Deposited By: | Knobe, Joshua |
| Deposited On: | 23 April 2003 |
Available Versions of this Item
- Philosophical Implications of Inflationary Cosmology (deposited 23 April 2003) [Currently Displayed]