What is the difference between a simulation and a representation? Is it just
that a representation is a rather poor simulation, one that doesn't talk
back to you, like a film? Is there a sharp dividing line between the two, or
is it a continuum?
--Stathis Papaioannou
>From: "Saibal Mitra" <smitra.domain.name.hidden>
>To: "everything" <everything-list.domain.name.hidden>
>Subject: Re: Many worlds theory of immortality
>Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 03:11:21 +0200
>
>One could say that the brain of some schizophrenic persons simulate other
>persons. I don't know if some of you have seen the film 'A Beautiful mind'
>about the life of mathematician Nash. In the film Nash was closely
>acquainted to persons that didn't realy exist. Only much later when he was
>treated for his condition did he realize that some of his close friends
>didn't really exist.
>
>One could argue that the persons that Nash was seeing in fact did exist (in
>our universe), precisely because Nash's brain was simulating them.
>
>
>Saibal
>
>
>
>Van: "Stathis Papaioannou" <stathispapaioannou.domain.name.hidden>
>Aan: <jeanne.houston.domain.name.hidden>; <r.standish.domain.name.hidden.edu.au>
>CC: <everything-list.domain.name.hidden>
>Verzonden: Thursday, May 12, 2005 03:25 PM
>Onderwerp: Re: Many worlds theory of immortality
>
>
> > The obvious and sensible-sounding response to Jeanne's question whether
>it
> > may be possible to access other universes through dreams or
>hallucinations
> > is that it is not really any more credible than speculation that people
>can
> > contact the dead, or have been kidnapped by aliens, or any other of the
> > millions of weird things that so many seem to believe despite the total
>lack
> > of supporting evidence. However, this response is completely wrong if
>MWI
>is
> > correct. If I dream tonight that a big green monster has eaten the
>Sydney
> > Opera House, then definitely, in some branch of the MW, a big green
>monster
> > will eat the Sydney Opera House. Of course, this unfortunate event will
> > occur even if I *don't* dream it, but I'm not saying that my dream
>caused
> > it, only that I saw it happening. It might also be argued that I didn't
> > really "receive" this information from another branch, but that it was
>just
> > a coincidence that my dream matched the reality in the other branch. But
> > seers don't see things by putting two and two together; they just, well,
> > *see* them. And if I really could, godlike, enter at random another
>branch
> > of the MW and return to this branch to report what I saw, how would the
> > information provided be any different from my dream? The only difference
>I
> > can think of is that with the direct method I would be more likely to
>visit
> > a branch with greater measure, but I can probably achieve the same thing
>by
> > trying not to think about green monsters when I go to sleep tonight.
> >
> > --Stathis Papaioannou
> >
> > >I once read an article in, I believe, Time Magazine, about the
>relatively
> > >new field of "neurotheology" which investigates what goes on in the
>brain
> > >during ecstatic states, etc. One suggestion that intrigued me was that
>it
> > >may be possible that in such a state, and I believe that schizophrenics
> > >were
> > >also mentioned, that the brain is malfunctioning in such a way as to
>allow
> > >it to perceive states of reality other than that which the normal brain
> > >would perceive. In other words, the "antenna" (brain) is picking-up
> > >signals
> > >that are usually beyond the scope of the normal brain. I wondered if
> > >anyone
> > >could comment on this, and if there was any reason to even entertain
>the
> > >thought that perhaps some people have passed through a crack in the
> > >division
> > >between our universe or dimension, into perhaps another? I read this
> > >several years ago and wish that I could recall the details of the
>article,
> > >but I don't have it anymore.
> > >
> > >Jeanne
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
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Received on Fri May 13 2005 - 02:51:09 PDT