- #36
Chalnoth
Science Advisor
- 6,197
- 449
Because it isn't remotely true?Chronos said:Why ponder an effective theory that lacks observational evidence? It might be mathematically attractive, but, is that really sufficient?
Many multiverse ideas that have been proposed do have testable consequences. Case in point:
http://www.livescience.com/15530-multiverse-universe-eternal-inflation-test.html
(note: this was a well-done, study, but the statistics aren't strong enough to say that they actually found evidence of a bubble collision)
On the other side, many experimental ideas which are very much testable happen to include a multiverse as one of their features. That is to say, the fact that there is a multiverse doesn't itself have experimental consequences, but it is a natural conclusion from the testable consequences of the theory. Examples here would be the spontaneous symmetry breaking of the standard model, a discovery that our vacuum is metastable, the many worlds of quantum mechanics, and many more.
My main problem with this sort of issue is that some people seem to harp on the idea that somehow a theory isn't valid or reasonable if it happens to include a multiverse, with no reasonable justification given whatsoever for this extreme case of theoretical bias. The only reasonable conclusion from the fact that the multiverse itself isn't testable is, "Okay, we won't use that aspect of the theory to evaluate its merits. What else does this theory have to offer?" Instead we get, "OMG! Multiverse! Not science! Bad! Get that theory out of here!"