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The many-worlds interpretation (Everett)

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For everyone

In 1957 Hugh Everett proposed that the wave function never collapses. The Schrödinger equation always holds and every possible outcome of a measurement occurs. Everything, including the observer, splits into "branches" in which different outcomes happen and which do not interact. The interpretation is defended for adding no collapse postulate to the theory; critics object to its acceptance of countless unobservable worlds and question how probability is to be understood.

For specialists

Everett's "relative state" formulation was popularised as "many worlds" by DeWitt in 1970. Decoherence theory is used to explain why branches look independent and classical. Where the Born rule, that is, probabilities, comes from in this interpretation is an ongoing debate, including derivations based on decision theory.

Views on dating

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Formulation and naming	1957 (Everett, relative state), 1970 (DeWitt, "many worlds")^[1][2]

Claims

The universal wave function always evolves according to the Schrödinger equation; measurement is nothing but a branching that includes the observer.^[1][3]

Positions

Critics: In a theory where everything happens, the notion of "the probability of an outcome" loses its meaning; unobservable worlds are an uneconomical assumption.^[3]

Connections

Parent

Interpretations of quantum mechanics

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Sources

ArticleEverett, H. (1957). "Relative state" formulation of quantum mechanics. Reviews of Modern Physics 29, 454–462DOI 10.1103/RevModPhys.29.454 archive
ArticleDeWitt, B. S. (1970). Quantum mechanics and reality. Physics Today 23(9), 30–35DOI 10.1063/1.3022331 archive
EncyclopediaVaidman, L.Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophyplato.stanford.edu archive

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APA

Athena contributors. (2026). The many-worlds interpretation (Everett). Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/cok-dunyalar/

BibTeX

@misc{athena_cok_dunyalar,
  title        = {The many-worlds interpretation (Everett)},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/cok-dunyalar/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 28, 2026 · Last changed: September 28, 2026 · Page history

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