91av

Letter: On the practicalities of the pluriverse (2)

Published 22 April 2026

From Keith Joshi, Melbourne, Australia

Jo Marchant’s article on QBism and enactivism suggests the state of the universe is refined through the process of observation or perception. A previous letter about building a simulation of the universe noted that if you were to do so and had limited resources, you would refine details of the model only as and when required to, using the software technique known as “lazy evaluation”. That is: only when a denizen of the simulation attempted to observe something would the system create the necessary detail.

It is striking that such a simulated universe may demand something like the pluriverse. This is, of course, just a coincidence, isn’t it?

Issue no. 3592 published 25 April 2026

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with 91av events and special offers.

Sign up
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop