• Outlander
    1.8k
    Anyone ever think about that? We've all had dreams where we're ourselves only things are a little or sometimes vastly different.

    I've had a few where my house was clean or my neighborhood was greatly more successful with giant almost futuristic buildings all around. Some where I was younger, back in school and on fun trips with people I didn't end up getting to know. Others where family members who are no longer alive are still around and we do a few things, such and such.

    In all these, I'm still me from what I gather. As in it's me controlling or at least interacting with the experience as opposed to just watching a movie for example.

    Scientifically, it's a well discussed theorem. Alternative universes. Parallel universe. The multiverse. String theory. Etc. Essentially saying there are other universes where you exist only you made other choices, some that dramatically changed your life. For example, say you decided to buy that lottery ticket and ended up a millionaire. Or you ended up talking to the girl at the bar and ended up falling in love and had yourself a family. Etc. Some versions even go as far to say that literally every possibility or choice that you did not take is it's own universe that exists. Again from as large as life changing decisions that change everything to small choices like the paint job of your car or trim on the walls of your house. It's really something exciting to think about.

    1. What are your thoughts on this and what are the profound effects this would have on life, society, and our views on existence altogether?

    2. What if when we dream we get to "view" into these universes from our alternate selves? For example you know when you're doing something either exceeding interesting (buying a house, meeting someone, enjoying your family, skydiving, etc) or exceedingly boring (filling out paperwork, doing your 9-5) sometimes you (in a way) zone out for a bit... and just kind of let sensory experience takeover, as in your mind takes backseat to whatever emotions your feeling at the time. Again either out of pleasure or sheer boredom. What if during these times... in both your life in this universe and your life in another universe... these are gateways or "opportunities" for your alternate selves to experience or "view" these lives while dreaming? We've all done or said things during times "when we're not paying attention" or simply "lost track of the time"... do you think this theory could possibly account for this?
  • Key
    45
    In all these, I'm still me from what I gather. As in it's me controlling or at least interacting with the experience as opposed to just watching a movie for example.Outlander
    You watching a movie is still you... just watching a movie.

    Dreams may give you a heightened sense of control... so do video games.
  • Outlander
    1.8k
    You watching a movie is still you... just watching a movie.Key

    Right, I meant it's a front-seat interactive, controlled experience as opposed to a backseat immersive one. Probably goes without saying.

    Dreams may give you a heightened sense of control... so do video games.Key

    Nothing about it being heightened simply it's like being awake. What I've noticed is sometimes there's a disconnect, for example when I have dreams of past relatives or things that don't exist you (or at least I) don't always process it as "hey this isn't right". That said occasionally, when something ridiculous or just impossible occurs I do think... wait a minute... this is a dream. lol. "Let me ignore this, it's nonsense" - that's when I can usually have fun and "explore" so to speak. Doesn't happen too often.
  • DoppyTheElv
    127
    I think you're going too deep into these hypotheses.
  • Outlander
    1.8k


    So esteemed physicists arguing for the idea of universes where everything that can or could have happened did didn't flag your radar. But me saying dreams are some sort of version of this is. For some reason. Sure.
  • DoppyTheElv
    127
    No I meant those hypotheses. Multiverse and string theory all that.
    I guess it's fun to imagine if our dreams are what you say they are. But I wouldn't go further than that.
    But then again. What do I know? ;p
  • jgill
    3.5k
    Scientifically, it's a well discussed theorem. Alternative universes. Parallel universe. The multiverse. String theory. EtcOutlander

    Not really a "theorem", but entertaining speculation. However, discussing these ideas gets one nowhere. Train to become a Lucid Dreamer or follow the instructions for the Art of Dreaming by Castaneda. You will be shocked and amazed with the actual experience, and then you can do the speculating.
  • Mijin
    123
    I've recorded my dreams for much of my adult life.

    In terms of the OP hypothesis, it's interesting that my dreams often take place in familiar places, and furthermore, I seem to remember this better during the dream. e.g. "Awesome, I'm in that really cool city; I should go to the north end of this city where there is that giant cathedral on a hill" then waking and realizing the city only exists in my dreams and the cathedral was a past dream.

    Sadly, this familiarity of certain places is the only concrete information I have of a dream "reality". Versus copious information to suggest it is just a bunch of hallucinations based on my memories. It's pretty clear which hypothesis gets Occam's razored.
  • Gus Lamarch
    924
    What are your thoughts on this and what are the profound effects this would have on life, society, and our views on existence altogether?Outlander

    Its a blessing that we can't reach this other paralel universes. People would abandon these for that and so forth. If another "you" existed, existence doesn't mean anything, because you could die, and still be living, with all your memories, all your passions, but the only thing differently was that you didn't made that homework last week. Even concepts like egoism, things centered at the self would not make any sense anymore.

    What if when we dream we get to "view" into these universes from our alternate selves? For example you know when you're doing something either exceeding interesting (buying a house, meeting someone, enjoying your family, skydiving, etc) or exceedingly boring (filling out paperwork, doing your 9-5) sometimes you (in a way) zone out for a bit... and just kind of let sensory experience takeover, as in your mind takes backseat to whatever emotions your feeling at the time. Again either out of pleasure or sheer boredom. What if during these times... in both your life in this universe and your life in another universe... these are gateways or "opportunities" for your alternate selves to experience or "view" these lives while dreaming? We've all done or said things during times "when we're not paying attention" or simply "lost track of the time"... do you think this theory could possibly account for this?Outlander

    This is pure speculation. Even if it was true - that I highly doubt it is - we could not prove it.

    theoryOutlander

    This is not a theory, it is a hypothesis.
  • TimefulJoe
    9
    The idea that dreams are other dimensions or higher planes, stuff like that, seems to be like how people think hallucinogens open gateways to the same. Sensory data is processed in the brain, but stimulating the brain can produce sensation too. It's a two-way street. I think dreams work relatively the same, except that instead of "random" chemical fluctuations it is more structured, as the brain goes about its business.
  • Phoenix Rose
    1
    Outlander

    I agree with you on many levels. The human mind is a vast network of electricity and memory boards that always want to create movies for us to watch...especially in our sleep. The idea that dream world is a parallel universe is a current exploration for me and has lead me to think self image dreams or 1st person are more a reflective-parallel universe. I've found allowing myself to lucid dream has aided in exploration of the "possibilities" and change within my recurring dreams and has had some insight on personal struggles within my wake time.
  • SaugB
    27
    What if during these times... in both your life in this universe and your life in another universe... these are gateways or "opportunities" for your alternate selves to experience or "view" these lives while dreaming? We've all done or said things during times "when we're not paying attention" or simply "lost track of the time"... do you think this theory could possibly account for this?Outlander

    I really like this idea. Of late, I have been thinking not of the enchantment of the dream's world objects and storylines, but rather for me the important thing has been subject formation in, or at the edge of, the dream world. I like to think about the philosophy and processes behind how some waking subject or self gets carried to, 'taken to' or 'invited into' a dream world. I literally imagine someone walking from a dark place to the dream's more enchanting world! The interesting philosophical question here is whether we ought to think of a dream world as already having been constituted or constructed, so that a subject or self can be 'brought to it' when he/she falls asleep, in much the same way one enters an already built city for the first time. Clearly, we are not building the dream world with our hands and tools, but experiencing it as selves. Thinking of subject/self formation in dreams in this way, one could really see that your ideas of alternate/parallel universes as being accessed in dream- and dream-like states have credence, for if the dream world is already constructed/constituted and we only enter it, it is not just 'similar to' a parallel/alternate universe, but wholly is a parallel/alternate universe.
bold
italic
underline
strike
code
quote
ulist
image
url
mention
reveal
youtube
tweet
Add a Comment

Welcome to The Philosophy Forum!

Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.