Re: Are we simulated by some massive computer?

From: George Levy <glevy.domain.name.hidden>
Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 19:55:04 -0700

Russell

Remember the creature must be consistent with the world it observes and
vice versa. An unchanging one bit world does not seem to be able to
support the existence of a consistent conscious entity - at least not
with our kind of consciousness.

Let's move the creature up to a richer world that it can observe. Let us
also assume that the creature has no body. What does this means? That it
can "observe" but cannot "control" objects in this world? Like a ghost?
All I can say is that the consciousness of the creature will be shaped
by the world it inhabits and vice versa. It consciousness will certainly
be different from ours. It can certainly use the Anthropic Principle by
asserting consistency of itself with its world by saying "I am what I am
therefore my world is what it is."


George

>Since the
>creature has no information whatsoever about any body it might have,
>what is to stop it's world being the simplest of all possible worlds?
>How about a one bit universe?
>
>Day 1.
>
>Q. What can I see today?
>A. A bit.
>
>Q. What is the value of the bit?
>A. 1
>
>Day 2.
>
>Q. What can I see today?
>A. A bit.
>
>Q. What is the value of the bit?
>A. 1
>
>...
>
>Of course there is no conundrum at all if the creature is unconscious.
>
>
>
>>George
>>
>>
>>Russell Standish wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>Sorry, but I fail to see it as self evident. Imagine being a creature
>>>immersed in a virtual reality setup its entire life, a virtual reality
>>>that does not include a representation (ie a body) of the creature itself.
>>>
>>>Would that creature deduce that it is in a virtual reality, and that
>>>it has a body in another (unobservable to it) reality?
>>>
>>>Or would it even be conscious?
>>>
>>> Cheers
>>>
>>>On Tue, May 11, 2004 at 04:10:15PM -0700, George Levy wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Russell wrote
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>However, the mind-body problem doesn't completely disappear - rather
>>>>>it is transformed into "Why the Anthropic Principle?".
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>Once you have accepted that "I" exist and that "I" am capable of logical
>>>>thinking and capable of following a logical chain, then the Anthropic
>>>>principle becomes trivial. What "I" am and what "I" observe becomes the
>>>>initial boundary condition for a logical chain leading to the proof of
>>>>the existence of the world: "I am therefore the world is." This is the
>>>>Anthropic Principle.
>>>>
>>>>George
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
>
>
Received on Tue May 11 2004 - 23:02:50 PDT