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the theory appears to be incomplete, especially the part about the influence of the human mind on the whole thing. Perhaps you could elaborate on that bit, L.o.A.?
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An excellent point, Lush. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] I began writing this looking at it purely scientifically (which, I find, is always a mistake when analyzing Tolkien's works.) However, upon coming across the part about the human mind, I began to look at it more philosophically. If variables in the real world can branch of into physical universes of their own, why can not ideas do the same? What I mean is this: The underlying theory behind multiple universes is that there is always a cause for the shift. Here is an example. A person finds a wallet. In one universe, he gives back the wallet to the owner. In another, he keeps it. In a third universe, he burns it for no particular reason, etc. The possibilities for this seemingly small event in life can branch into millions of different universes where the "wallet" variable is the only difference.
My thought, and Fred Alan Wolf's thought, is that one's ideas could do the same; they could branch off into another universe, a variable created by the human mind. It may seem a bit of a stretch, and I am in no way inclined to believe it without any sort of supporting evidence, but it would be an interesting occurrence with huge implications about the power of the human mind. It is of course an underdeveloped theory (as are all "theories" that cannot be tested), and it may not be fully scientifically-grounded, but I decided to put it forth. Perhaps it could move readers to some sort of philosophical debate about the human mind as it relates to our world and our universe.