marc.geddes.domain.name.hidden wrote:
>
>
> 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.
But the question is whether there would be any *functional* difference.
Brent Meeker
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Received on Mon Sep 15 2008 - 02:08:19 PDT