Forget the multiverse. In the pluriverse, we create reality together.

If you think physics says the present doesn't exist, listen to this: according to some of the most radical minds in science, not only does the “here and now” exist, but we ourselves create it, moment by moment, together. The argument is this: reality is not a pre-made stage where everything unfolds according to a script, but rather a kind of collective jazz, in which each of us, through our choices, plays a note that changes the music for everyone. To understand this, we need to question the most entrenched idea we have: that out there exists an objective universe, independent of us, where time passes at the same rate for everyone. But that's not the case. Michel Bitbol, a philosopher of physics, puts it bluntly: “You cannot separate yourself from the world.” And John Wheeler, one of the giants of quantum theory, had already planted the bomb under the table half a century ago, with his delayed-choice experiment. Picture this: physicists shoot photons at a screen with two slits. If no one observes which path the photon takes, it appears to pass through both, like a wave. However, if they observe it, it behaves like a particle and takes only one path. So far, this is the classic quantum mystery. But Wheeler goes further: what happens if you decide to observe only after the photon has already passed through? What happens is that your choice seems to affect not only the photon's present but also its past. Wheeler called this “a strange reversal of the normal order of time.” From this emerges the idea that there is no reality separate from the observer, but only possibilities that materialize when we ask questions. He summed it up as follows: “it from bit” — reality emerges from the information we create through our choices. Christopher Fuchs, a quantum physicist and one of Wheeler's students, took this insight and took it to its logical extreme with his interpretation known as QBism. For Fuchs, quantum rules do not describe objects out there; rather, they link our personal beliefs about what we might observe. Born’s famous rule, which typically predicts the probability of an outcome, here becomes a guide for updating one’s expectations based on experience. In essence, the world is not something to be discovered, but rather something to be constructed, action by action. And when it comes to perception, neuroscience is no exception. Neuroscientist Anil Seth puts it bluntly: what we see—the cup on the table, the cat on the couch—is not objective reality, but the best guess our brain can make, based on our personal history and beliefs. Remember the viral dress from 2015 that half of the internet saw as white and gold and the other half as blue and black? That's proof that everyone sees a different world. What if, instead of being mere personal illusions, these differences are actually the very fabric of reality? Fuchs takes the discussion even further: there is no solid, objective landscape behind our perceptions. Reality, he says, is a multiverse, a living community of infinitely intertwined “nows,” where every personal experience contributes to creating what exists. We are not isolated bubbles: there is a rule that holds our perspectives together—the new quantum version of Born’s rule—which imposes limits and connections between our beliefs, even though no one can see the world from above and know what it is really like. And here comes the twist: according to QBism and enactivism, it's not just humans who participate in this creation. Even a whale, a plant turning toward the sun, or even a network of molecules can have a perspective, act, and influence their own micro-universe. In this view, reality was not created once and for all by the Big Bang and then left to its own devices, but rather it is renewed in billions of tiny creative flashes, each time someone—or something—makes a choice. If you were taught that science seeks objective truth, here’s the twist: perhaps objective reality is the true illusion, and what really matters are the worlds we build by sharing perspectives, culture, and experiences. Science itself, says Ezequiel Di Paolo, is not God's gaze upon the cosmos, but a particularly rigorous way of bringing our visions together. The key phrase to remember is this: reality is not a pre-written script, but a mosaic that we create together, a “pluriverse” where every choice leaves its mark. If this idea has changed the way you see the world, you can indicate it on Lara Notes with I'm In — you're not just showing your approval; you're saying: This perspective is now mine too. And when you tell someone that physics isn't about a single universe, but about infinite, intertwined worlds, you can tag that conversation with Shared Offline—it's your way of saying that a conversation has truly made a difference. All of this comes from New Scientist, and it has saved you over twenty minutes of reading.