Originally Posted 2/16/2006
In the process of discussing an aspect of the quantum sorcery paradigm, that of applying Will to the moment of decoherence in order to insure that what I shall refer to as the “Self of Reference” ends up in the universe in which the desired outcome is manifest, the question of ethics came up. Is it ethical to condemn a parallel universe self to a set of circumstances which the SoR is attempting to disengage from?
As David Deutsch points out in The Fabric of Reality, no one particular self has any sort of special preferential position among the staggering number of manifestations in the multiverse. It is only the ego of the SoR which believes that it has the prerogative to take actions which might be detrimental to untold parallel selves. Among the selves will be a contingent that will decide that this is an unacceptable course of action, and hence will abandon the attempt to influence the direction of the personal timeline at the moment of decoherence. However, among the myriad selves there will also be a group which will decide that ethics are irrelevant, or that attempting to gauge the repercussions of actions on the inhabitants of parallel universes is beyond the scope of maintaining ethical conduct.
With regard to this second pool of selves, another question then arises. Is it possible that the undesired aspects of the life of the SoR could be due to the actions of a parallel self who has exerted influence over events in its own universe in order to steer itself in the very same way which the SoR is considering? In other words, are circumstances in your own life the result of another self improving its own situation through the use of quantum sorcery, leaving a less preferable outcome for you to encounter? The actions of one self among the finite but innumerable selves will not necessarily cause misery to the SoR, but it is a possibility.
Many acts of sorcery could be considered unethical by their very nature. Sorcery is a process by which one or more sentient beings attempt to alter the flow of space/time and the fabric of objective reality to further a conscious desire. From an objective standpoint, this is unquestionably selfish, and in some frames of reference it might be considered outright evil, regardless of the innocuousness of the intent of the magical operation or the naivety of the sorcerer. Due to the interconnectedness of matter and energy, every change made through the exertion of Will has an effect on all other aspects of reality. The ramifications of these effects may be beyond the scope of understanding, but the awareness that such effects are inevitable cannot be avoided by a sorcerer who possesses any real degree of self-reflection. Ultimately, those who are unwilling or unable to accept this responsibility would likely be advised to avoid practicing magic of any variety.