Philosophical essay about possible explanation for an individual’s experience of life and qualia. Is the multiverse theory real, and what implications would that have? And the walking dead could be among us, but not how one might assume… But it’s related to the idea of there being many worlds existing simultaneously.
Real Zombies? Multiverse Theories? What is Going On?
The following a feeble stab at explaining one possible theory of existence. Of all the reasons we may experience this life on Earth, little seems to hold much ground after logically unpacking any possibility’s plausibility. The idea of a soul, and whether or not the soul be eternal, is also a mystery, so this whole ride as a human being could just be an illusion with no inherent purpose or meaning.
To fully understand this little theory I’ve concocted, there first must be a quick review of two topics. The first of which is a concept that has always fascinated me, and that is the idea of a philosophical zombie.
What is a Philosophical Zombie?
From what I understand, related to the study of consciousness, a philosophical zombie is a person that by all account seems like a real person, acts like a person who operates by the same consciousness as he who perceives them from outside of their mind, but in reality – they are not a conscious being. The phenomenon of conscious thought that possess the observer of the zombie is not present in that of the zombie’s head itself.
The thought experiment is designed to describe one interesting aspect of awareness, that consciousness cannot be observed outside of it’s own perceptive tools. Similar to the idea of a mind in a vat, philosophy points out that reality is what the subjective experience decides it to be for itself regardless of what the objective truth outside of its own awareness might actually be.
Typically I have stayed away discussing the topic because any commentary on consciousness ends up spiraling out in infinite loops. So I will do my best to keep things coherent.
The next idea to discuss before diving into the meat of this proposition is the multiverse theory, which has gained popularity over the past decade or so, at least in pop culture.
I’m getting to ready publish a novel about multiverse travel. Look for it early 2026!
Multiverses and the Many Worlds Theory
At the quantum level, there is a strong case to make for multiple universes suggesting subatomic particles, the building blocks of our macro-based existence, pop in and out of these other universes. To summarize things in the simplest way, electrons and protons can be measured in terms of velocity and position. When we know the velocity, the position is impossible to locate and when we know the position, its velocity is unknowable.
As it is often described, there is a probability wave detailing where an electron or proton could be, but in fact – the actual position could be anywhere on the bell curve, from most likely to the least likely.
The argument for the Multiverse, or “many worlds,” theory is that there is a universe where every possible position is occupied by the given particle.
In most universes, the proton or electron occupies the spaces where it is most likely to be but in a few others, it exists in the unlikely spots. The probability aspect doesn’t concern the current subject, though, what needs to be grasped is that there is a scientific basis suggesting the particles that make up our very matter, energy, and brains can exist in multiple universes at once.
Read an original Sci-Fi short story about adventures in Multiverse.
Is this as Good at Gets? Are Philosophical Zombies Real?
So now let’s assume that there are multiple universes where some version of you exists, but is distinctly different from the version of consciousness that is the “you” that exists now. You know, the one in the universe where you’re reading some random guy’s essay on the internet. Let’s get to it, then, the big idea of the article, the great proposition:
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I propose that there is only one universe in which a person exists as a conscious entity and in all other worlds – they exist solely as philosophical zombie. A shadow or obscure projection of the actual conscious vessel living in an infinitely distant, yet oddly intimately close, variation of the Cosmos.
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So if this proposal were true, and yes I realize it is rather unprovable, it brings about 3 key questions for us to ponder:
- Are we all existing in a single universe, with an infinite amount of universes existing elsewhere, places where only the zombies roam, cheaply imitating the conscious experience of feeling and thought?
- If the above is not the case, is there any fashion that could reliably distinguish those seriously experiencing consciousness in one world from the zombies that inhabit the very same world?
- And if there is no way to distinguish the real people from brainless hoards, how could one be sure that their loved ones and close friends are their actual themselves and not a zombie that but is but a glimmer of their actual conscious self that is truly occupying an entirely different universe?
Scarier than Real Zombies, Actors on ‘The Truman Show’
Maybe the prospect of those closest to you being shells of their actual self while they consciously inhabit some other world entirely a full, alive aware being isn’t as terrifying to you as the stereotypical zombie chasing the living for their brains…
but it’s more scary to me. Similar to my irrational fears that I’m on some weird TV program like The Truman Show. Great movie, if you haven’t seen it. Essentially, Jim Carey’s character is the only one in his world that doesn’t know their on a TV show. His wife, mom… everyone is an actor but him.
This idea is similar. The people in your life aren’t actors, but diminished reflections of their true self.
Now read a short story about traveling to a multiverse to kidnap someone.
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