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In his 2003 ''NY Times'' opinion piece, ''A Brief History of the Multiverse,'' the cosmologist Paul Davies offers a variety of arguments that multiverse hypotheses are non-scientific:
 
In his 2003 ''NY Times'' opinion piece, ''A Brief History of the Multiverse,'' the cosmologist Paul Davies offers a variety of arguments that multiverse hypotheses are non-scientific:
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{{cquote|For a start, how is the existence of the other universes to be tested? To be sure, all cosmologists accept that there are some regions of the universe that lie beyond the reach of our telescopes, but somewhere on the slippery slope between that and the idea that there are an infinite number of universes, credibility reaches a limit. As one slips down that slope, more and more must be accepted on faith, and less and less is open to scientific verification. Extreme multiverse explanations are therefore reminiscent of theological discussions. Indeed, invoking an infinity of unseen universes to explain the unusual features of the one we do see is just as ad hoc as invoking an unseen Creator. The multiverse theory may be dressed up in scientific language, but in essence it requires the same leap of faith.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Brief History of the Multiverse |first=Paul |last=Davies |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/12/opinion/a-brief-history-of-the-multiverse.html?pagewanted=all, ''New York Times'', April 12, 2003}}</ref>}}
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{{cquote|For a start, how is the existence of the other universes to be tested? To be sure, all cosmologists accept that there are some regions of the universe that lie beyond the reach of our telescopes, but somewhere on the slippery slope between that and the idea that there are an infinite number of universes, credibility reaches a limit. As one slips down that slope, more and more must be accepted on faith, and less and less is open to scientific verification. Extreme multiverse explanations are therefore reminiscent of theological discussions. Indeed, invoking an infinity of unseen universes to explain the unusual features of the one we do see is just as ad hoc as invoking an unseen Creator. The multiverse theory may be dressed up in scientific language, but in essence it requires the same leap of faith.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Brief History of the Multiverse |first=Paul |last=Davies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/12/opinion/a-brief-history-of-the-multiverse.html?pagewanted=all, ''New York Times'', April 12, 2003}}</ref>}}
    
In most formulations of the hypothesis, the constituent "universes" are identical, in that they have the same physical laws and the same values for the fundamental constants but exist in different states, and are arranged so that no information can pass between them. The state of the entire multiverse is constituted by a [[quantum superposition]] of states of the constituent universes and is described by a single universal [[wave function]]. In a recent work, [[The Fabric of Reality]] (1997), [[David Deutsch]] argues that the universe as we experience it consists of an infinity of physically possible worlds all co-existing in all possible times, and that what we regard as reality is simply an individual mind's rendering of his or her journey through a sequence of individual panes of the multiverse.   
 
In most formulations of the hypothesis, the constituent "universes" are identical, in that they have the same physical laws and the same values for the fundamental constants but exist in different states, and are arranged so that no information can pass between them. The state of the entire multiverse is constituted by a [[quantum superposition]] of states of the constituent universes and is described by a single universal [[wave function]]. In a recent work, [[The Fabric of Reality]] (1997), [[David Deutsch]] argues that the universe as we experience it consists of an infinity of physically possible worlds all co-existing in all possible times, and that what we regard as reality is simply an individual mind's rendering of his or her journey through a sequence of individual panes of the multiverse.   
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The '''multiverse''' is suggested as a possible explanation for the "bumps and wiggles" in temperature observed for cosmic background radiation, and for "dark flow" (the streaming of galaxy clusters across space).<ref>http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/3151/full</ref>
 
The '''multiverse''' is suggested as a possible explanation for the "bumps and wiggles" in temperature observed for cosmic background radiation, and for "dark flow" (the streaming of galaxy clusters across space).<ref>http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/3151/full</ref>
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== Atheism and the multiverse hypothesis ==
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== See also ==
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''See also:'' [[Atheism and the origin of the universe]] and [[Anthropic principle]]
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[[Image:Stephen Meyer.jpg|thumb|150px|right|[[Stephen Meyer]] ]]
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The [[multiverse hypothesis]] postulates that multiple universes exist, and it is a consequence of one of the interpretations of [[quantum mechanics]]. It is often advocated by [[atheism|atheists]] and [[Agnosticism|agnostics]] as a response to the [[anthropic principle]].
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*[[Atheism and the origin of the universe]]
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=== Articles on atheism and the multiverse hypothesis ===
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*[https://evolutionnews.org/2021/03/multiverse-myth-frees-atheists-from-real-science/ “Multiverse” Myth Frees Atheists from Real Science] by Michael Egnor
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*[https://stephencmeyer.org/2022/06/03/the-madness-of-the-multiverse-and-the-strangeness-of-atheism/ The Madness of the Multiverse and the Strangeness of Atheism] by [[Stephen Meyer]]
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*[https://www.evidenceunseen.com/chapter-4-what-about-the-multiverse/ What about the multiverse?]
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*[https://apologeticspress.org/7-reasons-the-multiverse-is-not-a-valid-alternative-to-god-part-1-5396/ 7 Reasons the Multiverse Is Not a Valid Alternative to God] by Jeff Miller, Ph.D. - Part 1
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*[https://apologeticspress.org/7-reasons-the-multiverse-is-not-a-valid-alternative-to-god-part-2-5407/ 7 Reasons the Multiverse Is Not a Valid Alternative to God] by Jeff Miller, Ph.D. - Part 2
    
== References ==
 
== References ==
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