Quantum measurement: the many-worlds interpretation
SPECULATIONActiveUpdated 11 Jun 2026
The wavefunction never collapses; all measurement outcomes occur, each in a separate branch of a continually splitting universal wavefunction.
Evidence balance
support 78%oppose 22%
Supporting
2- Aspect experiments violate Bell inequalitiesw45
Alain Aspect et al. · 1982 · Peer-reviewed
Bell violations push against local hidden variables, consistent with unitary QM.
- Loophole-free Bell testw45
Hensen et al. · 2015 · Peer-reviewed
The loophole-free Bell test reinforces taking the wavefunction seriously.
Opposing
1- EPR argument for incompletenessw25
Einstein, Podolsky, Rosen · 1935 · Peer-reviewed
EPR's incompleteness worry motivates rival hidden-variable readings.
Assumptions
The universal wavefunction is the complete description
unjustified
The Born rule can be derived from branching
unjustified — Contested.
Open questions within this hypothesis
- Where do probabilities come from if everything happens?
- Is the interpretation empirically distinguishable?
Falsification criteria
Any confirmed objective collapse (a measurable deviation from unitary evolution) would falsify it.