Re: Why our universe is open.

From: <GSLevy.domain.name.hidden>
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 01:20:50 EDT

In a message dated 08/21/2000 2:23:50 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
smitra.domain.name.hidden writes:

>
> An interesting question can now be asked: Does the prisoner only exist
when
> the computer is simulating his universe, or does his universe exist
> independently of our universe and simulating his universe simply means that
> we can take look at his universe and even interact with him?
>
>

To answer the question of where does the prisoner live, in a simulated world
or an a "real" world we must discuss the issue of INDETERMINACY inherent in
the definition of the real world and of the simulated world.

No matter how precise you specify the prisoner' world, you will leave out
some parameters that specify that world. These parameters could be
indeterminate because either they are not specified (or controlled) or
because they are not observed.

>From your own perspective there will be an indeterminacy in the definition of
his world. There is no way for sure you could say that the prisoner is
actually simulated. You may be 99.9999% sure but never 100%. And you will
never know for sure who the prisoner is since there are uncertainties in the
measurements of his parameters.

>From the perspective of the prisoner, his own world is also indeterminate. He
may be living in any number of worlds within an indeterminacy window. And
that number is most likely infinite, with each one of these worlds, more or
less identical to each other. Some worlds could even be super Hollywood sets
that simulate these worlds - Think of the movie "The Truman Show." Other
worlds may be sets within sets constructed by some very advanced
civilizations. Think of "The Making of the Making of Honey I Shrunk the Kids."

The prisoner will make measurements to reduce the uncertainty of his world,
but will never reduce it to zero. In fact, for every measurement, new
branches will open up. From the relativistic point of view, the uncertainty
will remain the same. ie., Planck's constant remains the same.

The only standpoint which I find logical is to assign "equal" validity to
consciousness no matter how this consciousness arise, and what is the level
of implementation of the world that gives rise to it.

You may find that the prisoner lives in a simulation, yet, you can never be
sure that it's not the other way around, that you are the one living in a
simulation and that you have been fooled by some grand scheme.

In summary, the answer to your question is PARADOXICAL:

1) Yes, the prisoner only exist when the computer is simulating his
universe. Time for the prisoner is not the same as your own time.

2) Yes his universe exist independently of our universe. If you unplugged the
computer and never turned it back on again, the prisoner will continue living
in a different branch of the plenitude where there is a computer or an
equivalent environment appropriate to support his life. Transition from the
computer environment to "another environment adequate to support his life" is
seamless within the window of indeterminacy specific to his universe.

George Levy
Received on Sun Aug 27 2000 - 22:28:17 PDT