Lessons from the void: What Boltzmann brains teach

Abstract

AbstractSome physical theories predict that almost all brains in the universe are Boltzmann brains, that is, short‐lived disembodied brains that are accidentally assembled as a result of thermodynamic or quantum fluctuations. Physicists and philosophers of physics widely regard this proliferation as unacceptable, and so take its prediction as a basis for rejecting these theories. But the putatively unacceptable consequences of this prediction follow only given certain philosophical assumptions. This paper develops a strategy for shielding physical theorizing from the threat of Boltzmann brains. The strategy appeals to a form of phenomenal externalism about the physical basis of consciousness. Given that form of phenomenal externalism, the proliferation of Boltzmann brains turns out to be benign. While the strategy faces a psychophysical fine‐tuning problem, it both alleviates cosmological fine‐tuning concerns that attend physics‐based solutions to Boltzmann brain problems and pays explanatory dividends in connection with time's arrow.