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Eternal Inflation: When Probabilities Fail

Norton, John D. (2018) Eternal Inflation: When Probabilities Fail. [Preprint]

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Abstract

In eternally inflating cosmology, infinitely many pocket universes are seeded. Attempts to show that universes like our observable universe are probable amongst them have failed, since no unique probability measure is recoverable. This lack of definite probabilities is taken to reveal a complete predictive failure. Inductive inference over the pocket universes, it would seem, is impossible. I argue that this conclusion of impossibility mistakes the nature of the problem. It confuses the case in which no inductive inference is possible, with another in which a weaker inductive logic applies. The alternative, applicable inductive logic is determined by background conditions and is the same, non-probabilistic logic as applies to an infinite lottery. This inductive logic does not preclude all predictions, but does affirm that predictions useful to deciding for or against eternal inflation are precluded.


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Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Norton, John D.jdnorton@pitt.edu
Keywords: Cosmology, Eternal inflation, Inductive logic, Probability
Subjects: General Issues > Confirmation/Induction
Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology
Depositing User: John Norton
Date Deposited: 23 Feb 2018 20:23
Last Modified: 23 Feb 2018 20:23
Item ID: 14401
Subjects: General Issues > Confirmation/Induction
Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology
Date: February 2018
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/14401

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