Why no FTL and Infinite Worlds together? An explanation

[apoc527]

And then there's the Old Man's War series, where FTL is defined by the use of alternate universes, just ones where the differences are so minor as to be indistinguishable from the one you left.

And in a physics sense, FTL of any kind is really no more fantastical than parachronic travel -- both are based on a plausible-but-still-fictional understanding of physics.

I would be inclined to require causal links between worlds in order to create meaningful parallel universes. In other words, if there are no causal linkages between a bunch of Infinite Earths in the linked story and the outside galaxy, then one might consider the Sol system to have self-contained parallel universes. But when one parallel Earth makes contact with aliens, its quantum bubble could gradually envelope more spacetime in its universe.

Who knows, it's all made up!

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by apoc527

And in a physics sense, FTL of any kind is really no more fantastical than parachronic travel -- both are based on a plausible-but-still-fictional understanding of physics.

Well, 'plausible' is a big stretch there. Either one being possible has kinda nasty side effects (though both being possible isn't significantly nastier than only one being possible).

[Lovewyrm]

Originally Posted by Varyon

I'm getting a bit lost, here. Are you talking about the linked story

I'm talking about the linked story, since I figured that that was the topic.
An explanation on why FTL isn't in the setting, and I just consider the story not very believable. It's a nice tale but, to me, falls apart on a larger scope.
As in, everyone in that stories setting/universe actually living longer than the short story about that exchange lasts.

And there, I simply have a hard time fathoming that all humans on all earths only uplift other earths, and that that is the true meaning of FTL and everyone else who secures more territory in a single, concrete reality is somehow wrong for doing that.

Plus, now they know the true meaning and that means that these colonizer can also spread through the parralel universes, can't they? So they get the best of both worlds, and humans don't.
It's a sissy story to me and I rarely enjoy the sissification of humanity. In any way. Martial, intellectual, or anything inbetween or beyond.
Having more resources is having more resources, and "can't colonize" should realistically be "oh yeah? can't do that, huh? I'll show you."

It's a bit like chimpanzees. We're quite far above the chimp, both intellectually and physically, arms, shoulders, wrists, pelvis, and all that.
But chimps are almost always ripped/jacked/swole/strong. A trait worth emulating, because our bodies have that potential too, and realizing, corporeally, in oneself the grace and strength of such potential is amazing.
So, by echewing that because it's more brute, one actually degenerates, becomes more of a sissy. Because you can think and do strength training, too. Revenge of the nerd stuff is cringe and ruined generations.

Likewise, this story is ultimately toothless, and the flourish of that spokesperson as if he dealt some sort of major blow to the others is cringe. I mean it's an amusing story but..it's still weaksauce. Squandered potential.
Sissy stuff. Cause they're too good and advanced to remember the basics. Chimp rips off your face and hands. Mantids probably do the same, in that setting, while after hearing the story will uplift one another too.

Edit:
Anyway, ever went to another place for fun? Travel? Vacation?
Yes? You didn't colonize there but wanted to see more of the world? ( The universe?)
There's an even more basic explanation why that story is silly, even though I realize that some people are perfectly content staying in one spot.

Edit2:
Or another perspective:
The foolish (or perhaps sadistic) protagonist of that story told an extremely warlike race that FTL can be used to get stronger in parralel universe, just to 'gloat' about being so big brained and beyond such crudeties.
Levelling the playing field between them and the more civilized humans, instead of telling the humans to be a bit more aggressive, just in case others find out the 'real way' to use FTL as well.

Thus, again, this 'blow' against the mantids and the rest of that council..is..a bit cringy. Like, either the protagonist hates humans (and the listener is getting duped because it's a successful inversion of virtue, happens IRL all the time), or is naive and telling the more warlike creatures how to go to other dimensions...


@sjard
If I failed to convey the meaning to you properly, let me know and I'll try and explain it better.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by Lovewyrm

And there, I simply have a hard time fathoming that all humans on all earths only uplift other earths, and that that is the true meaning of FTL and everyone else who secures more territory in a single, concrete reality is somehow wrong for doing that.

I dunno, I think you're thinking about it the wrong way. The world as presented the short story basically has two sets of dimensions: one where one travels to a differing spatial location, and one where one travels to a differing temporal location. If you travel to a planet in a differing spatial location, you have to deal with the possibility of radically new life/cultures/climate conditions/etc. If you travel to a planet in a differing temporal location, it's possible to see different new life/cultures/climate conditions/etc. but the deviation is lower. Sure, the planet could be utterly alien from your own, but it's less likely than when you travel to another spatial solar system.

The humans in the story looked around the nearby star systems, and decided that most of them were fairly hostile to human life (because it adopted Deathworld's "Earth is a hellscape to most other planets, but that make it hard for humans to thrive elsewhere"), so they made the economic decision to expand in the other set of dimensions. And it's not as if this is a one way move or anything, they have to build ships called "ARCs" to travel between dimensions. If Earth-66 gets attacked by aggressive aliens, then they can just hop over to deal with that problem, same as if Deneb IV got attacked by aggressive aliens.