One of the more outlandish theories of modern science is that of the multiverse. This is the idea that we only inhabit one of an infinite number of universes, and that, somewhere, right now, there is an alternative version of us that hasn't made all of the mistakes that we have made in our lives. As I said, this is an outlandish idea, one more appropriate, possibly, of the realms of science fiction rather than science fact. And yet, over my lifetime I have seen a good deal of science fiction become science fact, so perhaps we ought not to dismiss the idea just yet.
The concept of the multiverse derives from the possibility of alternative futures. In the physical realm, it derives from events that didn't happen. For example, what would the world be like if the asteroid that collided with earth to render the dinosaurs extinct, actually missed the planet? However, intriguing as these might be, my attention is drawn more to the human realm, thinking abut what might have been, but didn't happen. The road not taken, if you like. There is now a well established realm of fiction - alternative histories - that deals with such cases. For example, 'The Man In The High Castle' deals with a world in which the Axis won the Second World War, or 'Bring The Jubilee' in which the Confederates won the American Civil War. My interest arises from the possibility of alternative pasts being the corollary to alternative futures.
We are accustomed to the idea of alternative futures, that the choices we make today determine the options we have in the future. But what if we could explore the choices we didn't select? Explore them in the sense of living them rather than as an academic exercise? In order to do this, we would need to tap into the multiverse. Obviously, at present, we are unable to do this. But if it is possible in theory, then it is a matter of time before it is possible to actually do so.
There are some scientists who claim to have evidence of the presence of the multiverse - the cold spots at the edge of the observed universe. The veracity of this evidence is beyond my knowledge, but assuming it to be true, the question becomes one of how to access the multiverse. It would appear that the best hope currently is through the quantum. Apparently, the quantum permits a state of being and non-being, and all stages in between, simultaneously. These ideas are currently being used to develop a quantum computer, but the idea has resonance elsewhere. If we can be and not be at the same time, the geographical space in which this happens must, by definition, be the multiverse.
This type of thinking is quite useful in developing scenarios. It is not revolutionary to think in terms of alternative futures. One way to express those alternative futures is through the construction of timelines that map events as they radiate out from the present. The timelines are a useful device to manage the future because they provide a roadmap of where we are heading, and, if we are not happy with the course of events, we can take remedial action to switch onto a timeline more to our liking.
I do feel that the development of timelines is a useful research agenda. We have started to develop some around the issue of Brexit, which we may unveil in later posts. What is most exciting, for me, is that, if we get it right, then we have taken a step towards Hari Seldon's 'psychohistory'. It is paradoxical that these ideas themselves originate in science fiction.
Stephen Aguilar-Millan
© The European Futures Observatory 2018
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