When talking about parallel universes, physics is usually the main subject. But what about the ethics behind the multiverse? Paul Sutter, a theoretical cosmologist, award-winning science communicator, NASA advisor, U.S. Cultural Ambassador, and a globally recognized leader in the intersection of art and science, helps us question the ethics behind parallel universes.
What are the Ethics Behind Parallel Universes?
This is a good one! If we do live in a multiverse, are we forced to reconfigure our concepts of ethics and morals? If all possibilities aren’t merely allowed, but actually happen, then what meaning should we attach to wrong actions? How should we treat death? For every unethical act, there is a universe where the moral path is being followed. For every tragic death, there is a universe with a narrow escape.
I’m going to argue that the multiverse doesn’t lead to a breakdown of ethics, but first let me set up the physics.
