Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Would you like yourself?
OK, so I have the chance to have weird thoughts. Big deal. I'm on public transportation for about 2 hours a day this is how I entertain myself. Anyway, in my last post I was thinking about the choices in life and how they led to where I am right now and how a minor change early on could lead to major changes down the line. So, I got to thinking about the whole "multiverse" idea. The theory is basically that we live in an infinite number of universes, each one representing the different choices and resulting consequences. Whenever we make a choice or a decision there is a split, one branch based on the choice we make and another based on the choice we do not make. Those two branches go on and when another choice comes up for each of those two strings the process repeats itself. And so on and so on.
This process would result in an arguably different Matt Soden. Let's pretend there is the Matt Soden that chose instead to go to Hamilton instead of St. Lawrence. What would that Matt Soden be like? His experiences would be different and therefore I propose his personality would be different. Obviously he would have different friends and probably a different job. I suspect he would be a completely different person.
Now, let's pretend I could meet that other Matt Soden. Would I like him? Would he like me?
This process would result in an arguably different Matt Soden. Let's pretend there is the Matt Soden that chose instead to go to Hamilton instead of St. Lawrence. What would that Matt Soden be like? His experiences would be different and therefore I propose his personality would be different. Obviously he would have different friends and probably a different job. I suspect he would be a completely different person.
Now, let's pretend I could meet that other Matt Soden. Would I like him? Would he like me?
posted by Anonymous, 9:42 PM
2 Buffaloes were bitter enough to post comments:
Help me understand... in your multiverse, all future paths exist for everyone? Past is irrelevant, present is fleeting, but future means everything. So that other Matt Soden could in fact be one of an infinite number of other Matt Sodens, all of whom exist in a fleeting place and all of whom differ from one another only very slightly, like individual frames in a movie reel. The question of whether you would "like" the other Matt Soden kind of disregards the "blurring" affect of juxtaposing two or more universes (again, using the film analogy, think of two frames from different Harrison Ford films projected on the same screen, at the same time -- no Harrison Ford, just a jumbled mash of colors and shapes). So, to dodge your question entirely, I think you'd probably not be able to focus on the other Matt Soden long enough to make an assessment. You probably couldn't even relate to the other Matt Soden on your terms at all -- he would be unrecognizable to you from any other random guy.
In related news, I'd like to quote the Myers Briggs Institute, which wrote a neat description of my personality type: "Seek to develop logical explanations for everything that interests them. Theoretical and abstract, interested more in ideas than in social interaction. Quiet, contained, flexible, and adaptable. Have unusual ability to focus in depth to solve problems in their area of interest. Skeptical, sometimes critical, always analytical."
Pretty much hit the nail on the head. Without cheating, can you guess my type?
In related news, I'd like to quote the Myers Briggs Institute, which wrote a neat description of my personality type: "Seek to develop logical explanations for everything that interests them. Theoretical and abstract, interested more in ideas than in social interaction. Quiet, contained, flexible, and adaptable. Have unusual ability to focus in depth to solve problems in their area of interest. Skeptical, sometimes critical, always analytical."
Pretty much hit the nail on the head. Without cheating, can you guess my type?
ENTJ? Really? Congratulations! You are what is widely considered the 2nd best of the sixteen possible Myers-Briggs types. That means 14 of the types aren't as good as yours! Pretty sweet!
As you probably recall from your flirtations with Myers-Briggs, INTP is considered the "best" type. But if you can't be INTP, ENTJ is still pretty darn good.
OK... back to your original question. First of all, Matt, I really enjoyed that fascinating discussion on quantum mechanics you linked us to in your previous comment. I sure am glad it had pictures!
Toward the end of the article, I found some stuff that looked good:
“* There is nothing inherently quantum mechanical about branching descriptions of historical events. In fact, this kind of case-based analysis is a common planning technique and it can be analysed quantitatively by classical probability.
“* The use of historical events complicates matters by introduction of an issue which is generally believed to be completely extraneous to quantum theory, namely the question of the nature of individual choice.”
So, basically, you linked me to an article in support of your argument that explicitly admits it doesn’t apply to your argument. Hmm. Interesting.
But I digress.
Matt, I don’t see anything in your query that would make you any less likeable in an alternate reality than you are today. So, to answer your question: assuming you like yourself now, you’d probably like yourself just fine in the alternate reality that had you choosing Hamilton over SLU. You’d have different friends, sure, but they’d probably be the same types of friends (handsome, articulate, underemployed). You might be married to someone other than Jeannine (beautiful, sassy, idealogue), but you’d probably be equally satisfied with whomever you chose. You might or might not have kids.
How do these things affect your likeability, anyway? Your core personality would have developed by the time you chose your college, so the decisions you make in the other reality would be influenced by the same personality framework that influenced your decisions in this world. I contend you’d be an awful lot like you are right here, right now.
Except maybe a few pounds lighter.
As you probably recall from your flirtations with Myers-Briggs, INTP is considered the "best" type. But if you can't be INTP, ENTJ is still pretty darn good.
OK... back to your original question. First of all, Matt, I really enjoyed that fascinating discussion on quantum mechanics you linked us to in your previous comment. I sure am glad it had pictures!
Toward the end of the article, I found some stuff that looked good:
“* There is nothing inherently quantum mechanical about branching descriptions of historical events. In fact, this kind of case-based analysis is a common planning technique and it can be analysed quantitatively by classical probability.
“* The use of historical events complicates matters by introduction of an issue which is generally believed to be completely extraneous to quantum theory, namely the question of the nature of individual choice.”
So, basically, you linked me to an article in support of your argument that explicitly admits it doesn’t apply to your argument. Hmm. Interesting.
But I digress.
Matt, I don’t see anything in your query that would make you any less likeable in an alternate reality than you are today. So, to answer your question: assuming you like yourself now, you’d probably like yourself just fine in the alternate reality that had you choosing Hamilton over SLU. You’d have different friends, sure, but they’d probably be the same types of friends (handsome, articulate, underemployed). You might be married to someone other than Jeannine (beautiful, sassy, idealogue), but you’d probably be equally satisfied with whomever you chose. You might or might not have kids.
How do these things affect your likeability, anyway? Your core personality would have developed by the time you chose your college, so the decisions you make in the other reality would be influenced by the same personality framework that influenced your decisions in this world. I contend you’d be an awful lot like you are right here, right now.
Except maybe a few pounds lighter.