I want to now bring to your attention the issue of the interface between parallel universes and religion, because recently, I was introducing my idea of scientific parallel universes to a couple of acquaintances of mine who are Modern Orthodox Jewish (I myself am Modern Orthodox) and who disagree with the concept of multiple universes taking place within the same volume of space. They feel that such a concept is very much at odds with what God was planning for the world from the beginning. For example, they think that God planned only to give the Torah, to destroy the Holy Temple in Jerusalem twice, etc. - that there was a predestination to all this.
I would say that this is not quite so. True, there is only one God in Judaism for the entire cosmos, and so there cannot be multiple gods, one for each individual universe. On the other hand, though, parallel universes ARE compatible with what God has in mind for all humanity and all His other creations. The reason for the compatibility is because God knows in advance all the possible outcomes of a given action or event. As various medieval Jewish commentators like Gersonides (Levi ben Gershom) and Abraham ibn Daud (and some later Jewish ones too) explain, the only thing that God doesn't know is what choice people (or the weather) will make in their decisions. This concept of free will goes a long way in justifying the existence of non-fictional parallel universes, because God is fully aware of all the possibilities arising out of a single event where people have to choose one way or another. As the Ethics of the Fathers (3:15) says, "Everything is foreseen, yet free will is given". For many intents and purposes, this eliminates one single predestination per event, where the outcome thereof has to be decided one way or another. For more on that matter, consult the Wikipedia article on the Jewish view on free will. For more general views, and this is by no means just a Jewish concept, see the article in general.
One can very much apply all of the above to alternate history as set in parallel universes. Just to give one example, let's talk about the US presidential election in 2000, between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Gore won the popular vote, but the electoral college had a narrow majority for Bush in the end. In this case, God was fully aware of the possibilities of Gore winning and of Bush winning. What God didn't know, and what the American people decided for themselves, was who the majority voted for in each universe. In some universes, then, God left it up to the United States to ultimately choose Bush (just like in this one); in other universes, the United States chose Gore, and the rest was history in those other universes. Therefore, it's not the case that George W. Bush was predestined to win the American presidency in 2000 in every single universe. In short, God (through free will) has let the creation of parallel universes all throughout history happen.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
on to Dutch and British North Brazil...
I would like to present, this time around, a parallel universe where the Dutch were able to control northeast Brazil for far longer than the 25 or so years they did in this universe. This was my very first serious foray into alternate history, not to emerge again with a vengeance until I thought of British Argentina starting in 2004; see the first couple of blog entries.
I first thought of that idea late in 2001; at the time, I envisaged all of Brazil being taken over (bit by bit) by the Dutch once they had a firm foothold in the northeast in the mid-17th century. By the early 1800s, the British would conquer Brazil from the Dutch just like they did in South Africa at that time. (In that same scenario, I thought of South Africa being settled by the Portuguese and being part of the Portuguese empire until the mid- to late-20th century.) I was having Brazil be a major First World power on par with the US. Alas, that particular scenario didn't survive scrutiny, and I reduced that to the northern half of Brazil becoming Dutch in the mid-1600s and British later on. Of course, that scenario has had far-reaching consequences in that parallel universe, which I like to call Jan Maurits World (JMW) in honour of the popular Dutch governor Jan Maurits who had led the New Holland colony in northeast Brazil in the 1630s and early 1640s. So, here it is...
Just like in this world, the Dutch (through the Dutch West India Company, or WIC) established a foothold in much of the Brazilian northeast starting in 1630 to take the sugar cane plantations from the Portuguese, and founded or renamed cities. There was Mauritsstad, for instance - right by Recife. That perhaps had the best sugar cane plantations in the region. Other places included Frederiksstad (where Paraiba or Joao Pessoa is located now), Fort Schoonenburgh (present-day Fortaleza), and Fort Oranje (present-day Itamaraca, just north of Recife). The POD (or point of departure) comes during the Dutch struggle to capture Salvador (aka Bahia) in 1638, then the capital of colonial Portuguese Brazil. In this universe, the Portuguese defeated the Dutch in Salvador, but in JMW, the Dutch defeated the Portuguese there. As a result, the Dutch were more able to secure their New Holland colony in Brazil against the Portuguese. And so began more complete WIC control over north Brazil.
The Dutch were able to consolidate these gains by not only conquering new areas in northern Brazil, but also by conquering Portuguese posessions along much of the western coast of Africa, to capture more slaves. In terms of conquest campaigns in Africa, this world and JMW were the same. They took control of the Gold Coast (i.e. Ghana), Fernando Po, Annabon, Sao Tome, and Principe Islands, and Angola, among others. The difference between here and JMW, in particular for all but Ghana, is that these places were controlled by the Dutch for much longer (just like north Brazil itself). (The Cape of Good Hope was claimed by the Dutch East India Company starting in 1652, and that was a different enterprise than with the WIC.)
Meanwhile, southern Brazil remained Portuguese, and the capital was moved to Rio de Janeiro, a full century-and-a-half before this world. That part of Brazil is called Pindorama in JMW; northern Brazil is called Brazil.
The consequences in JMW were such that, besides longer-lasting control in northeast Brazil and parts of Africa, the WIC was a much stronger company than it was in this universe. As a result, it lasted as long as the Dutch East India Company, i.e. until the late 1700s. Also, Jews lived for a much longer continuous time frame in northeast Brazil than they did in this universe.
In the 1760s or 1770s, during one of the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the British captured that universe's version of Brazil, due to the rich sugar cane fields, and took over that area (stretching from what we know as Guyana all the way down to Bahia as well as in much of the Amazon Basin). It then evolved much like the Cape and South Africa did in general when the Cape was captured by the British in 1806, except in a more tropical setting. Actually, a cross between South Africa and the English-speaking Caribbean. A fair number of immigrants came flowing in, from Britain and throughout much of Europe and elsewhere, and cities such as Mauritsstad (renamed Mauricia), Fort Schoonenburg, and Salvador became prosperous and significant cities. These immigrants also included indentured servants in the mid- to late-19th century from India and, to a lesser extent, China. Today, the population of that Brazil (what we know of as northern Brazil plus the Guianas) is largely black or mixed black with whites or American Indians; the rest include a white minority of 20-40%, depending on where you're talking about, along with a significant Asian minority, American Indians, and other groups. Of the whites, some are English-speaking, and many others are of Dutch and/or Portuguese descent. The last group is known as Burghers or Brasilianers. Also, JMW's Brazil has a per capita income of US$3000 at current exchange rates. In these respects, that Brazil is much like South Africa, except with maybe less harsh of an apartheid.
The Republic of Pindorama, as the southern half of our universe's Brazil came to be known officially after independence in 1822, has been much the same as in our universe. An exception is that our Uruguay is permanently the State of Cisplatina in JMW, with the capital being Montevideu. This is because with the territory of the Portuguese being reduced, the Portuguese and then the Pindoramans would want to gain more territory, especially that which the Portuguese covet such as our Uruguay. Apart from that, there's roughly the same ethnic composition, per capita income, etc. In terms of per capita income, Brazil and Pindorama are in the same boat.
As for the WIC's African possessions, in Gold Coast, Dutch and English (and Scandinavian)traders controlled that area until the Dutch withdrew in 1874 (leaving Ghana a British crown colony), just like in this universe. Fernando Po and Annabon Islands, along with the African mainland around the Gulf of Guinea, were handed over from the Dutch to the Spanish in exchange for the Amazon Basin. Spanish Equatorial Guinea, as a result, proceeded much like in this universe. Since the Dutch conquest of Sao Tome and Principe, though, these islands have remained Dutch and have been known as Sint Thomas and Prins (and were not permanently taken over by the British at the turn of the 1800s). Angola also has remained Dutch all along in JMW since the Dutch conquests of the 1640s. Angola, and Sint Thomas and Prins, gained their independence from the Netherlands in the 1960s or 1970s.
I first thought of that idea late in 2001; at the time, I envisaged all of Brazil being taken over (bit by bit) by the Dutch once they had a firm foothold in the northeast in the mid-17th century. By the early 1800s, the British would conquer Brazil from the Dutch just like they did in South Africa at that time. (In that same scenario, I thought of South Africa being settled by the Portuguese and being part of the Portuguese empire until the mid- to late-20th century.) I was having Brazil be a major First World power on par with the US. Alas, that particular scenario didn't survive scrutiny, and I reduced that to the northern half of Brazil becoming Dutch in the mid-1600s and British later on. Of course, that scenario has had far-reaching consequences in that parallel universe, which I like to call Jan Maurits World (JMW) in honour of the popular Dutch governor Jan Maurits who had led the New Holland colony in northeast Brazil in the 1630s and early 1640s. So, here it is...
Just like in this world, the Dutch (through the Dutch West India Company, or WIC) established a foothold in much of the Brazilian northeast starting in 1630 to take the sugar cane plantations from the Portuguese, and founded or renamed cities. There was Mauritsstad, for instance - right by Recife. That perhaps had the best sugar cane plantations in the region. Other places included Frederiksstad (where Paraiba or Joao Pessoa is located now), Fort Schoonenburgh (present-day Fortaleza), and Fort Oranje (present-day Itamaraca, just north of Recife). The POD (or point of departure) comes during the Dutch struggle to capture Salvador (aka Bahia) in 1638, then the capital of colonial Portuguese Brazil. In this universe, the Portuguese defeated the Dutch in Salvador, but in JMW, the Dutch defeated the Portuguese there. As a result, the Dutch were more able to secure their New Holland colony in Brazil against the Portuguese. And so began more complete WIC control over north Brazil.
The Dutch were able to consolidate these gains by not only conquering new areas in northern Brazil, but also by conquering Portuguese posessions along much of the western coast of Africa, to capture more slaves. In terms of conquest campaigns in Africa, this world and JMW were the same. They took control of the Gold Coast (i.e. Ghana), Fernando Po, Annabon, Sao Tome, and Principe Islands, and Angola, among others. The difference between here and JMW, in particular for all but Ghana, is that these places were controlled by the Dutch for much longer (just like north Brazil itself). (The Cape of Good Hope was claimed by the Dutch East India Company starting in 1652, and that was a different enterprise than with the WIC.)
Meanwhile, southern Brazil remained Portuguese, and the capital was moved to Rio de Janeiro, a full century-and-a-half before this world. That part of Brazil is called Pindorama in JMW; northern Brazil is called Brazil.
The consequences in JMW were such that, besides longer-lasting control in northeast Brazil and parts of Africa, the WIC was a much stronger company than it was in this universe. As a result, it lasted as long as the Dutch East India Company, i.e. until the late 1700s. Also, Jews lived for a much longer continuous time frame in northeast Brazil than they did in this universe.
In the 1760s or 1770s, during one of the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the British captured that universe's version of Brazil, due to the rich sugar cane fields, and took over that area (stretching from what we know as Guyana all the way down to Bahia as well as in much of the Amazon Basin). It then evolved much like the Cape and South Africa did in general when the Cape was captured by the British in 1806, except in a more tropical setting. Actually, a cross between South Africa and the English-speaking Caribbean. A fair number of immigrants came flowing in, from Britain and throughout much of Europe and elsewhere, and cities such as Mauritsstad (renamed Mauricia), Fort Schoonenburg, and Salvador became prosperous and significant cities. These immigrants also included indentured servants in the mid- to late-19th century from India and, to a lesser extent, China. Today, the population of that Brazil (what we know of as northern Brazil plus the Guianas) is largely black or mixed black with whites or American Indians; the rest include a white minority of 20-40%, depending on where you're talking about, along with a significant Asian minority, American Indians, and other groups. Of the whites, some are English-speaking, and many others are of Dutch and/or Portuguese descent. The last group is known as Burghers or Brasilianers. Also, JMW's Brazil has a per capita income of US$3000 at current exchange rates. In these respects, that Brazil is much like South Africa, except with maybe less harsh of an apartheid.
The Republic of Pindorama, as the southern half of our universe's Brazil came to be known officially after independence in 1822, has been much the same as in our universe. An exception is that our Uruguay is permanently the State of Cisplatina in JMW, with the capital being Montevideu. This is because with the territory of the Portuguese being reduced, the Portuguese and then the Pindoramans would want to gain more territory, especially that which the Portuguese covet such as our Uruguay. Apart from that, there's roughly the same ethnic composition, per capita income, etc. In terms of per capita income, Brazil and Pindorama are in the same boat.
As for the WIC's African possessions, in Gold Coast, Dutch and English (and Scandinavian)traders controlled that area until the Dutch withdrew in 1874 (leaving Ghana a British crown colony), just like in this universe. Fernando Po and Annabon Islands, along with the African mainland around the Gulf of Guinea, were handed over from the Dutch to the Spanish in exchange for the Amazon Basin. Spanish Equatorial Guinea, as a result, proceeded much like in this universe. Since the Dutch conquest of Sao Tome and Principe, though, these islands have remained Dutch and have been known as Sint Thomas and Prins (and were not permanently taken over by the British at the turn of the 1800s). Angola also has remained Dutch all along in JMW since the Dutch conquests of the 1640s. Angola, and Sint Thomas and Prins, gained their independence from the Netherlands in the 1960s or 1970s.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
I can't believe it - a three-month absence from this blog! I've been busy, though - moving to Jacksonville, Florida, for a job, along with translating my British Argentina website into Spanish (both of which I'm in the middle of). Now that I'm finished for now with talking about the connection between alternate history and parallel universes, I will present a few brief alternate histories one post after another. Note that these all take place in potentially non-fictional parallel universes, which very much fit in with the latest parallel universe theories in astrophysics. So, without much further ado, here's the first one...
There is a parallel universe somewhere far away in the heavens (or through a decoherence barrier) where the prime minister of what was then Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) was not assassinated in 1959 by a nationalist Sinhalese Buddhist monk. The prime minister's name was S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike; in this universe, his widow took over some months later and became the world's first female elected prime minister. But anyway, the main consequences of Bandaranaike not being assassinated in that universe were that Sri Lanka was able to achieve a Sinhalese-Tamil federation, thereby avoiding the civil war between the two groups that would plague the island country from 1983 onwards, and that because of the absence of the civil war, the economy grew even faster than it did in this world (and so became more of an Asian economic tiger). Besides being a more peaceful country than it is in our universe, Sri Lanka is wealthier per capita than the Philippines (though not as much as Thailand) - whereas here, that country is poorer than the Philippines (yet richer than Indonesia). Both in this and in that universe, Sri Lanka is more affluent than any other country in South Asia, and the degree of social development is far greater than elsewhere in South Asia (except Kerala state, which has also done well socially).
The reason why I'm saying that Bandanaraike's lack of assassination in that world has had such an effect is because prior to his being killed in 1959, he was willing to make a federation between the Sinhalese and the Tamils (as opposed to a unitary government which controls all the country in a way that states and provinces control themselves in federal countries like the US and Canada). He was compromising like that even as he advocated "Sinhala only" policies to the detriment of the Tamils. In that universe, he was merely wounded by the assassin because the bullet behaved in a different way, so that it landed in a way in which he would not die; this is part of chaos theory, in which an event could go either way.
In summary, in a scientific parallel universe where Bandanaraike was not killed in 1959, you have faster economic growth since 1977 (the year when privatization began), a Sinhalese-Tamil federation, of course no civil war, and greater affluence (though by no means even there a First World nation). Meaning also, no Indian army to intervene in the late 1980s, no political insurrections also in the late 1980s, etc. etc.
There is a parallel universe somewhere far away in the heavens (or through a decoherence barrier) where the prime minister of what was then Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) was not assassinated in 1959 by a nationalist Sinhalese Buddhist monk. The prime minister's name was S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike; in this universe, his widow took over some months later and became the world's first female elected prime minister. But anyway, the main consequences of Bandaranaike not being assassinated in that universe were that Sri Lanka was able to achieve a Sinhalese-Tamil federation, thereby avoiding the civil war between the two groups that would plague the island country from 1983 onwards, and that because of the absence of the civil war, the economy grew even faster than it did in this world (and so became more of an Asian economic tiger). Besides being a more peaceful country than it is in our universe, Sri Lanka is wealthier per capita than the Philippines (though not as much as Thailand) - whereas here, that country is poorer than the Philippines (yet richer than Indonesia). Both in this and in that universe, Sri Lanka is more affluent than any other country in South Asia, and the degree of social development is far greater than elsewhere in South Asia (except Kerala state, which has also done well socially).
The reason why I'm saying that Bandanaraike's lack of assassination in that world has had such an effect is because prior to his being killed in 1959, he was willing to make a federation between the Sinhalese and the Tamils (as opposed to a unitary government which controls all the country in a way that states and provinces control themselves in federal countries like the US and Canada). He was compromising like that even as he advocated "Sinhala only" policies to the detriment of the Tamils. In that universe, he was merely wounded by the assassin because the bullet behaved in a different way, so that it landed in a way in which he would not die; this is part of chaos theory, in which an event could go either way.
In summary, in a scientific parallel universe where Bandanaraike was not killed in 1959, you have faster economic growth since 1977 (the year when privatization began), a Sinhalese-Tamil federation, of course no civil war, and greater affluence (though by no means even there a First World nation). Meaning also, no Indian army to intervene in the late 1980s, no political insurrections also in the late 1980s, etc. etc.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
A Bridge Between History and Astrophysics
There are a few more introductory words about the connection between "counterfactual" history and potentially non-fictional parallel universes that I have to say. First and foremost, this whole nexus could breed a lot of interaction between historians and astrophysicists. They can pool their resources together, and research and discuss different ways that history can interact with physics and astronomy. And no, I don't mean the history of astronomy - I mean taking historical events such as World War II or the various Roman conquests, and situating them in parallel universes according to the scientific theory, so that these events come to life with different outcomes in those worlds. Right now, the historians and the astrophysicists are totally separated, and their fields seemingly have nothing to do with one another, but in fact, they can bond together on some level.
For example, let's take Professor A (who specializes in Ancient Roman history) and Professor B (who deals with quantum physics). Professor A may be studying any of the Punic Wars (between Rome and Carthage) and postulates some theories about what if Carthage, not Rome, had overall been victorious in the Punic Wars. Meanwhile, down the hall, Professor B is conducting research on how quantum physics results in a given universe splitting up into two daughter universes from a single event. These professors can meet together and discuss their results, so that maybe, a battle in the Punic Wars could be shoehorned into Professor B's quantum theory. The history could then be told such that in one daughter universe, like ours, the Romans beat the Carthaginians, and in the other daughter universe, the Carthaginians won.
All this collaboration between historians and astrophysicists would have the potential to spawn a whole new discipline devoted solely to placing alternate or virtual histories in appropriate parallel universes. As I have said before, such what-if histories would be stripped of much fiction and would be set in the reality proposed by the physicists. Maybe this discipline could be called historical astrophysics, or parallel history - anything but "what if" or "counterfactual".
On a related note, a union of alternate history and parallel universe astronomy/physics would be very fruitful for both parties, considering that they're both speculative areas. One of them speculates what history would have been like in a given place had an event resulted in something different than what we actually experienced, and the other speculates that there is more to the cosmos than just our universe. (Of course, there is also science fiction, but that kind of speculation is more fictional and less factual than what-if history and parallel universes.) On a normal basis, at least parallel universes are very often thought of as science fiction, and even alternate history sometimes (e.g. Harry Turtledove). But I am here to say that they can be science fact. If you combine those speculative areas, what you get is a super-speculation!
Another thing I wanted to say is that the "alternate history as parallel universe" theory can be a valuable addition to the argument in support of virtual history advanced by Niall Ferguson in his book Virtual History: Alternatives and Counterfactuals. In that book, in the beginning chapter, Ferguson talks about how, for example, virtual history can shed incredible light upon history as we, in our universe, know it. He also criticizes those who dismiss alternate history as a "parlour game", as E.H. Carr would put it, or otherwise irrelevant. I highly think that Ferguson should have added that alternate history is the history that has happened in other universes, away from our own. So if alternate history is what may go on in other universes, and if alternate history the way we explore it now (i.e. mainly what-if scenarios), they are surely not parlour games or wild fantasies!
For example, let's take Professor A (who specializes in Ancient Roman history) and Professor B (who deals with quantum physics). Professor A may be studying any of the Punic Wars (between Rome and Carthage) and postulates some theories about what if Carthage, not Rome, had overall been victorious in the Punic Wars. Meanwhile, down the hall, Professor B is conducting research on how quantum physics results in a given universe splitting up into two daughter universes from a single event. These professors can meet together and discuss their results, so that maybe, a battle in the Punic Wars could be shoehorned into Professor B's quantum theory. The history could then be told such that in one daughter universe, like ours, the Romans beat the Carthaginians, and in the other daughter universe, the Carthaginians won.
All this collaboration between historians and astrophysicists would have the potential to spawn a whole new discipline devoted solely to placing alternate or virtual histories in appropriate parallel universes. As I have said before, such what-if histories would be stripped of much fiction and would be set in the reality proposed by the physicists. Maybe this discipline could be called historical astrophysics, or parallel history - anything but "what if" or "counterfactual".
On a related note, a union of alternate history and parallel universe astronomy/physics would be very fruitful for both parties, considering that they're both speculative areas. One of them speculates what history would have been like in a given place had an event resulted in something different than what we actually experienced, and the other speculates that there is more to the cosmos than just our universe. (Of course, there is also science fiction, but that kind of speculation is more fictional and less factual than what-if history and parallel universes.) On a normal basis, at least parallel universes are very often thought of as science fiction, and even alternate history sometimes (e.g. Harry Turtledove). But I am here to say that they can be science fact. If you combine those speculative areas, what you get is a super-speculation!
Another thing I wanted to say is that the "alternate history as parallel universe" theory can be a valuable addition to the argument in support of virtual history advanced by Niall Ferguson in his book Virtual History: Alternatives and Counterfactuals. In that book, in the beginning chapter, Ferguson talks about how, for example, virtual history can shed incredible light upon history as we, in our universe, know it. He also criticizes those who dismiss alternate history as a "parlour game", as E.H. Carr would put it, or otherwise irrelevant. I highly think that Ferguson should have added that alternate history is the history that has happened in other universes, away from our own. So if alternate history is what may go on in other universes, and if alternate history the way we explore it now (i.e. mainly what-if scenarios), they are surely not parlour games or wild fantasies!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
More on the AH=PU theory
There is more to be said about the theory of alternate histories equaling parallel universes that what I've already discussed. First of all, I forgot to mention previously that when one mentions some what-if history or another, it's not appropriate to just express it as "had it..., it would [have]...". For the sake of those worlds that really do exist out there, per the theories in physics, it is more salient to say "in a universe where..., it is/was...". For example, if you are discussing an outcome to the Battle of Waterloo other than what happened in our real world, only in our world's context is it enough to say "if Napoleon had won Waterloo, Europe would have had a unified Napoleonic Empire." But if we consider a parallel universe or remote region of the universe (depending on the theory), we should express it more as "in a world or universe or parallel universe (take your pick) where Napoleon won Waterloo, Europe has had a unified Napoleonic Empire."
Another thing that needs consideration is that when people discuss and debate alternate history, for example in forums devoted to that topic (such as soc.history.what-if), there tends to be divergent theories as to what happens once an alternate outcome is made to an event. For instance, in the postings I have read about Argentina and the region becoming British after 1807, I have seen some opinions stating that all of South America is conquered by the British, others stating that the British totally give up South America (even Buenos Aires and Montevideo), and yet others (like myself) somewhere in the middle. Well, guys, such differing theories represent different parallel universes! In other words, considering the outcome of a single event, there are some universes where things happen that make it easier for the British to take over all South America, and there are others where the locals push out the British for good, and others are somewhere in between. Just to give an example of the scenario of no British left, there may be a single battle between Spanish-speaking locals and British forces in which in one world, the British win and in the other world, the British lose. It is as simple as that!
By the way, for more reference on the theory of alternate histories being non-fictional parallel universes, go take a look at Max Tegmark's article. That article describes the various levels of parallel universes that are theorized to be out there in the heavens. Of those levels, it is Levels 1 and 3 which house the alternate histories we know of. Levels 2 and 4 are, by comparison, very otherworldly. It is found at www.hep.upenn.edu/~max/multiverse.pdf.
Another thing that needs consideration is that when people discuss and debate alternate history, for example in forums devoted to that topic (such as soc.history.what-if), there tends to be divergent theories as to what happens once an alternate outcome is made to an event. For instance, in the postings I have read about Argentina and the region becoming British after 1807, I have seen some opinions stating that all of South America is conquered by the British, others stating that the British totally give up South America (even Buenos Aires and Montevideo), and yet others (like myself) somewhere in the middle. Well, guys, such differing theories represent different parallel universes! In other words, considering the outcome of a single event, there are some universes where things happen that make it easier for the British to take over all South America, and there are others where the locals push out the British for good, and others are somewhere in between. Just to give an example of the scenario of no British left, there may be a single battle between Spanish-speaking locals and British forces in which in one world, the British win and in the other world, the British lose. It is as simple as that!
By the way, for more reference on the theory of alternate histories being non-fictional parallel universes, go take a look at Max Tegmark's article. That article describes the various levels of parallel universes that are theorized to be out there in the heavens. Of those levels, it is Levels 1 and 3 which house the alternate histories we know of. Levels 2 and 4 are, by comparison, very otherworldly. It is found at www.hep.upenn.edu/~max/multiverse.pdf.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Finished with my website!
Now that I am completed with my website today, finally (!), please feel free to take a look at it. Just go to www.britishargentina.com; as well as everything else, check out the Parallel Universe page. This website explains, in historical, geographical, and other detail, a parallel universe (potentially non-fictional) where the British won rather than lost Buenos Aires, and thus most of southern South America, in 1807 under Gen. John Whitelocke. I have been thinking about this scenario now for almost 32 months (or 2 years and 8 months), ever since one day when I was daydreaming, I came across a scenario for a British (or by now ex-British) Southern Cone (mainly Argentina and Uruguay).
On the day that I was daydreaming about that scenario, in July 2004, a lot of things came on my mind, in an epiphany. I was thinking, among other things, that the way the British-settled New World countries are set up (namely, US and Canada, Australia and New Zealand), Canada is bigger than Australia in population and importance as well as land area, even though Canada is subservient to the US while Australia is the big guy in its coupling with NZ. Argentina has a slightly bigger population than Canada, and definitely dominates over Uruguay. Same thing with Jewish communities, in that the Canadian one is so much bigger than the Australian one, and Argentina (once upon a time in this universe and still the case in the other universe) has had a bigger Jewish population than Canada. Also the same thing with the degree of economic development - US/Canada more, Ausralia/NZ less, and Argentina/Uruguay (in the other universe) in the middle. As well, a British-descended Argentina/Uruguay is a prime destination for immigrants from South Africa, like with the whites, given that South Africa is just across the Atlantic from the Southern Cone and is closer to the Southern Cone than, say, England or North America. And I thought of something else at the same time - Argentina/Uruguay in the other world speaks Spanish as well as English, just like Canada with French and English, and white South Africa with Afrikaans and English. As you could see in the website, all of these things are proven to have been the case for the purposes of the alternate universe.
From then onwards, I have been absolutely intrigued by such a world, with a different southern South America. For the first several months, I was trapped in the idea that such a world, as well as other alternate/virtual/counterfactual histories, when talking in a non-fictional context, is only in the realm of the "could have been" or the stillborn or something along those lines. I imagined such worlds as being somehow on top of one another, or otherwise never happening. I felt bad about this, and perceiving in this world only the things that had actually happened. I wanted to impose the "imaginary" world of the British Southern Cone on this world somehow, like correcting whatever newspaper or magazine article I read about that part of the world, or telling everybody about that world (which is still what I'm aiming for with my website). There was a palpable sense of frustration within me that nobody perceived the root reason why Argentina, in this world, has gone down the doldrums in the past 60 years, and I've also been frustrated to see South Africa or California (annexed into the US) or Canada, but not Argentina, speak English as well as another European language.
In the spring of 2005, I got released from that trap, upon realizing that the world that I've been envisioning for South America is actually a parallel universe in the scientific sense, one of perhaps an infinite number. I first thought of, for example, an Argentina (this world's one) and an Argentina Prime (that world's one), and eventually it dawned on me that it's a tale of two universes. That idea was backed up when reading articles appearing in science journals or Scientific American magazine postulating the existence of parallel universes in outer space or even next to us. For me, this was a true breath of fresh air - I no longer had to think of worlds like the British Southern Cone one as places that could've happened but didn't. I discovered that, in short, what could've been here was in fact there, and what could've been there was in fact here. As well, I no longer had to say that I made up, or created, the alternate history of Argentina, but rather that I've thought of such a world. Being rooted in non-fiction anyway, I was very uncomfortable imagining such worlds as being in the realm of fiction or what could have happened, and much more comfortable thinking of such worlds as being located somewhere out there, just that we can't directly perceive it. From then on, I've always thought of alternate histories as being merely non-fictional parallel universes.
All of what I've said so far is especially applicable for situations that are utopian compared to our own world's history. With the case of the British Southern Cone, the big advantage of that world compared to this one is that Argentina and Uruguay, as well as to some extent their neighbours, are far better off economically, politically, and otherwise than in this world. I mean, the whole point of desperately wanting an outlet for perceiving that world (as outlined above) is to see those countries as economic stars, not basketcases like here. Of course, when an alternate history is dystopian (e.g. the Nazis winning World War II), this universe is better off than the alternate universe where the dystopian alternate histories are located. So, this universe is worse off on the whole than the utopian parallel universes out there, but better off than the dystopian parallel universes.
So there we have it, the background behind my thesis that alternate history = parallel universes outlined by some scientists (at least those with the same general physics as our own).
On the day that I was daydreaming about that scenario, in July 2004, a lot of things came on my mind, in an epiphany. I was thinking, among other things, that the way the British-settled New World countries are set up (namely, US and Canada, Australia and New Zealand), Canada is bigger than Australia in population and importance as well as land area, even though Canada is subservient to the US while Australia is the big guy in its coupling with NZ. Argentina has a slightly bigger population than Canada, and definitely dominates over Uruguay. Same thing with Jewish communities, in that the Canadian one is so much bigger than the Australian one, and Argentina (once upon a time in this universe and still the case in the other universe) has had a bigger Jewish population than Canada. Also the same thing with the degree of economic development - US/Canada more, Ausralia/NZ less, and Argentina/Uruguay (in the other universe) in the middle. As well, a British-descended Argentina/Uruguay is a prime destination for immigrants from South Africa, like with the whites, given that South Africa is just across the Atlantic from the Southern Cone and is closer to the Southern Cone than, say, England or North America. And I thought of something else at the same time - Argentina/Uruguay in the other world speaks Spanish as well as English, just like Canada with French and English, and white South Africa with Afrikaans and English. As you could see in the website, all of these things are proven to have been the case for the purposes of the alternate universe.
From then onwards, I have been absolutely intrigued by such a world, with a different southern South America. For the first several months, I was trapped in the idea that such a world, as well as other alternate/virtual/counterfactual histories, when talking in a non-fictional context, is only in the realm of the "could have been" or the stillborn or something along those lines. I imagined such worlds as being somehow on top of one another, or otherwise never happening. I felt bad about this, and perceiving in this world only the things that had actually happened. I wanted to impose the "imaginary" world of the British Southern Cone on this world somehow, like correcting whatever newspaper or magazine article I read about that part of the world, or telling everybody about that world (which is still what I'm aiming for with my website). There was a palpable sense of frustration within me that nobody perceived the root reason why Argentina, in this world, has gone down the doldrums in the past 60 years, and I've also been frustrated to see South Africa or California (annexed into the US) or Canada, but not Argentina, speak English as well as another European language.
In the spring of 2005, I got released from that trap, upon realizing that the world that I've been envisioning for South America is actually a parallel universe in the scientific sense, one of perhaps an infinite number. I first thought of, for example, an Argentina (this world's one) and an Argentina Prime (that world's one), and eventually it dawned on me that it's a tale of two universes. That idea was backed up when reading articles appearing in science journals or Scientific American magazine postulating the existence of parallel universes in outer space or even next to us. For me, this was a true breath of fresh air - I no longer had to think of worlds like the British Southern Cone one as places that could've happened but didn't. I discovered that, in short, what could've been here was in fact there, and what could've been there was in fact here. As well, I no longer had to say that I made up, or created, the alternate history of Argentina, but rather that I've thought of such a world. Being rooted in non-fiction anyway, I was very uncomfortable imagining such worlds as being in the realm of fiction or what could have happened, and much more comfortable thinking of such worlds as being located somewhere out there, just that we can't directly perceive it. From then on, I've always thought of alternate histories as being merely non-fictional parallel universes.
All of what I've said so far is especially applicable for situations that are utopian compared to our own world's history. With the case of the British Southern Cone, the big advantage of that world compared to this one is that Argentina and Uruguay, as well as to some extent their neighbours, are far better off economically, politically, and otherwise than in this world. I mean, the whole point of desperately wanting an outlet for perceiving that world (as outlined above) is to see those countries as economic stars, not basketcases like here. Of course, when an alternate history is dystopian (e.g. the Nazis winning World War II), this universe is better off than the alternate universe where the dystopian alternate histories are located. So, this universe is worse off on the whole than the utopian parallel universes out there, but better off than the dystopian parallel universes.
So there we have it, the background behind my thesis that alternate history = parallel universes outlined by some scientists (at least those with the same general physics as our own).
Friday, February 16, 2007
Finally, my first day blogging!
Ever since I first made this blog a few months ago, I've been waiting until I at least almost finish my website on an alternate history of southern South America (e.g. Argentina and Uruguay) to blog away on the connection between alternate history and parallel universes. Well, that moment is here, and I'm almost finished with the site at this point.
Anyway, there is a very strong connection between alternate or counterfactual history (or however you want to call it) and parallel universes. And no, I'm not merely talking about parallel universes set in science fiction. What I mean is the notion in astrophysics that there may really be parallel universes out there, each with their own initial conditions and so on. In other words, for literally anything that happens where there can be more than one outcome, there are parallel universes for each such outcome.
This has tremendous ramifications for alternate history, because by definition, this sort of history is based on alternate outcomes to events that did happen in this universe. What happened here is what could have happened in an alternative universe, which could be very far away or even next to us (depending on the theory which you hold by); similarly, what happened in an alternate universe is what could have happened here. It's that simple! And we, in this universe, seem to totally ignore what goes on in other universes, even assuming they are real.
In almost any counterfactual or allohistory one composes, they only use the conditional tense (like "I would have one") when dealing with non-fiction. (The only time they use simples tenses like the past or present, as in "I have one", is in fictional stuff.). I think that, assuming the existence of parallel universes, it is perfectly valid to use simple, non-conditional tenses to describe alternate histories, because these are in fact what happen in parallel universes. All this is especially true where the divergence between this universe and another universe is the basis of the alternate history that one may be composing. In alternate history circles, this is known as the point of divergence (POD). As an example, there may actually be a parallel universe out there where Napoleon won the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, rather than Wellington and his soldiers winning. For that universe, you can talk about the progression of Napoleonic development without having to resort to "would have", "could have", and so forth.
In future posts, I will discuss this topic much more, and perhaps give alternate histories in simple, non-conditional tenses (even apart from my own which is published on the website).
Anyway, there is a very strong connection between alternate or counterfactual history (or however you want to call it) and parallel universes. And no, I'm not merely talking about parallel universes set in science fiction. What I mean is the notion in astrophysics that there may really be parallel universes out there, each with their own initial conditions and so on. In other words, for literally anything that happens where there can be more than one outcome, there are parallel universes for each such outcome.
This has tremendous ramifications for alternate history, because by definition, this sort of history is based on alternate outcomes to events that did happen in this universe. What happened here is what could have happened in an alternative universe, which could be very far away or even next to us (depending on the theory which you hold by); similarly, what happened in an alternate universe is what could have happened here. It's that simple! And we, in this universe, seem to totally ignore what goes on in other universes, even assuming they are real.
In almost any counterfactual or allohistory one composes, they only use the conditional tense (like "I would have one") when dealing with non-fiction. (The only time they use simples tenses like the past or present, as in "I have one", is in fictional stuff.). I think that, assuming the existence of parallel universes, it is perfectly valid to use simple, non-conditional tenses to describe alternate histories, because these are in fact what happen in parallel universes. All this is especially true where the divergence between this universe and another universe is the basis of the alternate history that one may be composing. In alternate history circles, this is known as the point of divergence (POD). As an example, there may actually be a parallel universe out there where Napoleon won the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, rather than Wellington and his soldiers winning. For that universe, you can talk about the progression of Napoleonic development without having to resort to "would have", "could have", and so forth.
In future posts, I will discuss this topic much more, and perhaps give alternate histories in simple, non-conditional tenses (even apart from my own which is published on the website).
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