On Sep 15, 12:56 am, "Stathis Papaioannou" <stath....domain.name.hidden> wrote:
> 2008/9/14 <marc.ged....domain.name.hidden>:
>
> > Yudkowsky asks:
>
> > "What experimental observations would you expect to make, if you found
> > yourself in such a universe?" (where reductionism is false)
>
> > But we *are* in just such as universe!
>
> Perhaps I could ask the opposite question: what if reductionism were
> suddenly made true? Which parts of the universe would stop functioning
> or function differently?
>
> --
> Stathis Papaioannou
I think there would no longer be conscious observers for starters. If
reductionism were true it would mean that mathematical truth would be
entirely algorithmic. No insight would be required, so there would be
no place for consciousness. All the delusions of Yudkowsky and co
would be true... reasoning would be entirely reducible to Bayesian
Inductuion, Intelligence would be entirely reducible to Optimization,
Consciousness wouldn't be needed etc etc etc.
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Received on Mon Sep 15 2008 - 01:52:02 PDT