• Philosophy and Spirituality
    Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Threads of Note Socialize
  • P&S Moderators: JackARoe | Cheshire_Kat

Are you living in a simulation?

Void

Void

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Oct 25, 2000
Messages
3,222
Location
melbourne, Australia
Nick Bostrom, PhD

Philosophy Faculty, Oxford University


This website features scholarly investigations into the idea that you might currently be literally living in a computer simulation, running on a computer built by some advanced civilization. Films like The Matrix and novels like Greg Egan's Permutation City have explored the idea that we might be living in virtual reality. But what evidence is there for or against this hypothesis? And what are its implications? The original paper featured here, "Are You Living in Computer Simulation?", presents a striking argument showing that we should take the simulation-hypothesis seriously indeed, and that if we deny it then we are committed to surprising predictions about the future possibilities for our species.

http://www.simulation-argument.com/
 
Just read the article. Nice read.

Makes logical sense, but I'm a little confused on why the posthumans / technologically mature humans want to dabble in ways of having fun.

Going back in the past to experience pleasure? Sounds quite unlikely.

And the new children being born? Are those seperate minds being plugged in?

The logic concerning the 3 hypothesis is correct, but the details are not discussed at all.

Sounds neat, but the arguments are not convincing enough.
 
Last edited:
It's a possibility I have stated my belief about in several posts in the past. I think alot of things can be explained if such a view is taken into account.
 
If you might be living in a simulation then all else equal you should care less about others, live more for today, make your world look more likely to become rich, expect to and try more to participate in pivotal events, be more entertaining and praiseworthy, and keep the famous people around you happier and more interested in you.

The message of this simulation theory is anti-Christ in nature, how conveniently packaged.

The backbone of it stems from movies, technology, and movies about technology, brainwash at it's finest.8)
 
brainwash at it's finest.
ROFL :D

yougene - I don't see why higher forms of intelligence/maturity are recreating the past. Is the future that dull and unpleasant? I'd think with such knowledge these posthumans would do something more productive.

Or maybe the posthumans are just as stupid as the current humans. ;)
 
Turbo Monk said:
The message of this simulation theory is anti-Christ in nature, how conveniently packaged.

The backbone of it stems from movies, technology, and movies about technology, brainwash at it's finest.8) [/B]
Click to expand...

Yeah that seems like a somewhat personal egotistical interpretation.

The backbone of the idea stems from movies, and technology. But where does the backbone of the movies and technology stem from....




sexyanon said:
brainwash at it's finest.
ROFL :D

yougene - I don't see why higher forms of intelligence/maturity are recreating the past. Is the future that dull and unpleasant? I'd think with such knowledge these posthumans would do something more productive.

Or maybe the posthumans are just as stupid as the current humans. ;)
Click to expand...

What better way to learn about the past other than recreating it?

What else is there to do once everything has been achieved but create new realities?


Think beyond posthumans, think beyond what you and I would traditionally consider productive.

If we are in a simulation, than what makes our reality any different than the reality the simulation exists in. What if the reality the simulation exists in is within another simulation.....
 
And I do agree, "Brainwashing" at its finest.

Try watching Ani-Matrix tripping and see what happens.
 
does it even matter? would anything change if we were in a simulation? would it be any less of a good think to be kind and compassionate and understanding and peacefull. would we be failing as a race any less at these things if we are in a simulation?
 
(1) The fraction of human-level civilizations that reach a posthuman stage is very close to zero; (2) The fraction of posthuman civilizations that are interested in running ancestor-simulations is very close to zero; (3) The fraction of all people with our kind of experiences that are living in a simulation is very close to one.

If (1) is true, then we will almost certainly go extinct before reaching posthumanity. If (2) is true, then there must be a strong convergence among the courses of advanced civilizations so that virtually none contains any relatively wealthy individuals who desire to run ancestor-simulations and are free to do so. If (3) is true, then we almost certainly live in a simulation. In the dark forest of our current ignorance, it seems sensible to apportion one’s credence roughly evenly between (1), (2), and (3).

That's good logic though.

Or what if we are running a historical simulation as an account of a dead species, if this is a creation of a post human civilization. This is just history already passing. As a point to sort of achieve immortality? Or if this is some conditional simulation running on chance/choice.


Its a toughie. I think its possible but highly improbable. Unless of course this whole quantum computing thing takes off and we can manipulate electrons (or some atomic particle, atoms whatevs) to carry binary data.
And then turn planets into big hunk a dunk computers. Then why not have a computer simulation running our reality?

I think the complexity of thought and experience sort of points to a simulation being untrue. How can you simulate conscious choice? My belief is that there is nothing called predestination. I've discussed in another thread about end times and about choice (cliche yes yes).

I think the possibility of people having spiritual experiences (at least) sort of defeats this possibility of a simulation (in terms of "sense"). I mean geez its just as likely that Aliens will come and inform us that we are not alone. And Bush will mess it up. "Um...howdy? Ya interested in a round of golf?"

Time to re-evaluate everything.
 
sexyanon said:
yougene - I don't see why higher forms of intelligence/maturity are recreating the past. Is the future that dull and unpleasant? I'd think with such knowledge these posthumans would do something more productive.
Click to expand...

Lots of video games and simulations are of past wars and stuff that's already happened! :\
 
Last edited:
I see what you mean, Gaz. But, why do we do all of these things?

We get joy out of them, right? Some pleasure, whether great or little, out of playing these games and experiencing different things.

Instead of trying for a small finite amount of pleasure by going into the past, why not try working in the present for a great amount of pleasure, almost infinite compared to the finite past.
 
sexyanon said:

Instead of trying for a small finite amount of pleasure by going into the past, why not try working in the present for a great amount of pleasure, almost infinite compared to the finite past.
Click to expand...

Question is do post-humans even feel pleasure. And if they do why wouldn't they just make themselves feel it all the time instead of trying to gain pleasure through building simulations. My point is you can't assume the drive for everything is pleasure.
 
"My point is you can't assume the drive for everything is pleasure."

What isn't?
 
Whenever ur stoned
Whenever ur rolling
Whenever ur drunk
Whenever ur happy
Whenever ur sad
Whenever ur insane
Whenever ur in love
Whenever ur anything...

I just have a saying.....
Thanks the Matrix for all these sensations!!
 
Somebody please explain to me what difference it would make if this was in fact a computer simulation. Other then us knowing that this is a computer simulation and not being able to do anything about it, what would be the difference?
 
Tr6ai0ls4 said:
Somebody please explain to me what difference it would make if this was in fact a computer simulation. Other then us knowing that this is a computer simulation and not being able to do anything about it, what would be the difference?
Click to expand...

Good question, leaving aside the highly improbable technology involved.
 
yougene - when isn't the drive for anything pleasure? pleasure is what drives us all.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top