From: jos.bergervoet@nxp.com   
      
   On 19/06/17 9:52 AM, Lawrence Crowell wrote:   
   > On Sunday, June 16, 2019 at 10:41:37 AM UTC-5, Michael Cole wrote:   
   >> In my humble opinion, the \_fatal flaw_/ of many worlds is   
   >> that it is metaphysics, not science.  That interpretation of QM is   
   >> untestable. It is fun to think about, but it is a question of philosophy   
   >> that is outside the province of science.   
   >   
   > This is the case for all quantum interpretations. They are auxiliary   
   > postulates added onto QM. There seems to be no experimental criterion   
   > to determine which of any is correct.   
   >   
   > [[Mod. note -- Exactly.  If there were an experimental way to   
   > distinguish one interpretation of QM from another, or to refute   
   > some of them, then we wouldn't still be arguing about interpretations   
   > 90 years after the birth of QM!   
   > -- jt]]   
      
   That reasoning is not valid. There also was arguing about whether   
   gravitational waves existed, until 90 years after the birth of GR.   
   Still there was an experimental way!   
      
   For QM you basically have (at least) two fundamentally different   
   theories being proposed.   
   QM0: time evolution is always unitary, described by clear equations.   
   QM1: time evolution is sometimes unitary and described by clear   
   equations, and sometimes non-unitary with an as of yet unknown   
   time-evolution equation.   
      
   Within each of the two theories there may be several interpretations,   
   and within those two groups the interpretations may be experimentally   
   indistinguishable as you describe, but the two theories remain   
   different. Calling QM1 an interpretation of QM0 is like calling the   
   flat Earth theory an interpretation of the round Earth theory. Or   
   GR without gravitational waves an interpretation of GR.   
      
   And of course if there is non-unitary time evolution, then it could   
   in principle be experimentally detected, and a precise mathematical   
   time-dependent description could be found for it. It just might take   
   more than 90 years..   
      
   --   
   Jos   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)