Where did the theory of multiple universes originate?

[silenus]

Then read Larry Niven’s “All The Myriad Ways.”

[chrisk]

@Alessan

I’m pretty sure the *literary *(not scientific) concept was invented by early fantasy writers who wanted their characters to go to places that were both very close and very far. Places like Oz, Wonderland and Neverland are all proto-parallel universes. They’re like alien planets, except you don’t have to use a spaceship to go there.

Actually, since the directions to get to Neverland involve following a star, (admittedly not a well-identified one,) why couldn’t it be on an alien planet, with a magic way to get there?

[Marley23]

@Der_Trihs

One of the simplest arguments for multiple universes is, why wouldn’t there be? We live in the evidence that a process exists that can create a universe; why would we assume that it would just stop with one?

That’s not a satisfying argument. Why would there be multiple universes? There’s no particular reason to assume the process would repeat itself. I’ve grudgingly accepted that there are probably other universes based on the probability arguments, but “why not?” doesn’t indicate that something has actually happened - just that it could.

[Der_Trihs]

@Marley23

That’s not a satisfying argument. Why would there be multiple universes? There’s no particular reason to assume the process would repeat itself.

But we have no knowledge of anything that would stop it from happening again, either. Claiming that our universe is the only one is the kind of assertion of specialness that historically has turned out to be wrong.