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Living Forever?

In the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, is there a branch of the universe where an individual avoids every possible cause of death and thus lives indefinitely?.

For example: I get a heart attack at 82, but one version of me doesn’t, and so continues living. Then, at the age of 85, another thing happens, but in one version, it doesn’t. How long can this go on?

( 4 comments | 3 points | on HN )
Re:Living Forever? by ben_w on Friday March 21, 2025 @07:36AM (#43434426)
Yes, it's called "quantum immortality": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_suicide_and_immortalit...

Personally, I disfavour any model with infinities in it (infinite universe duration, infinite spatial extent, infinite branching of wavefunctions, the infinite ensemble of possible multiverses in The Mathematical Universe) because all of them suffer the same Bolzman-brain cognitive instability.

Re:Living Forever? by isu182 on Friday March 21, 2025 @07:55AM (#43434557)
Yes I read about it. First of all please let me point out that I have very little knowledge about all this, I'm just a fan of physics.

But the thing I don't understand about all this is that if the many-worlds interpretation accepts quantum immortality then wouldn't that collide with the second law of thermodynamics?

Re:Living Forever? by yorwba on Friday March 21, 2025 @08:27AM (#43434813)
No. The second law of thermodynamics states that high-entropy states are more likely than low-entropy states. Quantum immortality means that you can only observe a state where you're alive. In combination, you're more likely to observe a high-entropy state where you're alive than a low-entropy state where you're alive.

That is, under quantum immortality, your body will keep accumulating non-lethal damage and your suffering will never end. It's quantum immortality, not quantum eternal youth.

Re:Living Forever? by red_Seashell_32 on Friday March 21, 2025 @07:25AM (#43434341)
This assumes that there are infinite branches of reality, and some of them are offset in time (and in some we are aware of other branches in those realities - otherwise, how do you avoid death?).

With that, probably until we die of age, so, 120-something?

But this is too speculative and with out understanding of world - impossible