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Is it possible to imagine a universe with a different set of laws of physics?

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Datman2020@lemmy.fmhy.ml
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askscience@lemmy.world
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Some people suggest the idea of a multiverse with each universe having a unique set of laws of physics governing it, but not many delve deeper into this. I was wondering if it was even possible to imagine a universe that is different to ours in this regard.

The universe could share some of the laws from our universe yet still be different enough that it is not a matter of just tweaking a few digits of the gravitational constant or the speed of light. Also the universe with those set of laws should be able to sustain itself through the same period as our universe has been so far, meaning it shouldn’t implode or instantaneously cease to exist the moment it is born.

Is it even possible to imagine this? If not, is this due to us having become so accustomed to the logic of our universe that we cannot come up with any such idea that does not exist here, or is it just that our universe happens to be the only possible one to exist, at least while maintaining the harmony between each law of physics and avoiding any paradoxes to occur?

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InfiniteFlow@lemmy.world
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Let me recommend the books by Greg Egan. Essentially, he takes some basic premise of our universe’s physics, twists it around, and then writes novels exploring what living in such a world would be like. Superb. You can check his website for an idea, but don’t be scared by it. He drops all the physics and math in there, but the novels shy away from that and use metaphors where absolutely needed.

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