5.1 KiB
Whoa, Dude, Are We Inside a Computer Right Now?
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Author: u/CaesarNaples2 *
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URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/rational/comments/2q8yw8/whoa_dude_are_we_inside_a_computer_right_now/
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Score: 0
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Created: 2014-12-24T04:45:17
Post:
Whoa, Dude, Are We Inside a Computer Right Now?
- Is consciousness "magical" or a complex machine?
I think it's more magical than mechanical.
- Is human life like the Sims?
My life is nothing like the Sims. I think the domestic life of the Sims isn't indicative of the human experience.
- Is "conspiracy theorist" a derogatory term?
I think it could be. I've never personally seen it used that way. But it's a dangerous thing to label people with ideas in that way.
- Do quantum phenomena point towards our universe being a simulation, specifically in regards to "seeing what we need to see" (in the article)?
I'm not a quantum physicist. I've heard that stuff is real.
- Could we be tricked into thinking we're conscious/in control when we're really simulations on a machine?
a) I think so. I think the magical property of consciousness would give our life value in that case through art. I think art serves a few purposes, the main one being to record experience. Another one is to elicit an experience. I find that more comforting than the idea that I am a useless person.
b) I've heard in an AI debate that even human creativity is overrated. Machines can write music, draw pictures, and generally create at a rate much higher than we can.
My goal is to record this experience. I was going to bring up quantum physics and as you know, bringing down the house with physics facts is a risk. I started with lesson 1.
Quantum physics is real science. One of the problems in quantum physics is known as Observational Influence, where:
Our universe is meant to be observed.
Lesson 2 is much more difficult.
Comments:
u/Prezombie [+2] (14 hours later)
Of course we're inside a computer. After all, the universe is turing-complete...
u/696e6372656469626c65 [+1] I think, therefore I am pretentious. (17 hours later)
You should be extremely careful with your use of the word "magical". That's implicitly anti-reductionist, and as such should receive a large probability penalty via Occam's Razor. In addition, there are many interpretations of quantum mechanics that do not involve collapse postulates, and definitely not observer-triggered collapse. You might want to look up Hugh Everett's Many Worlds Interpretation.
u/None [+1] (5 days later)
By the axiom of identity, a simulation which is not different from an objective external reality is in fact the objective external reality. If you want to propose we're living in the Matrix, you need to find a glitch.
u/CaesarNaples2 [-2] (43 seconds later)
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u/capsless [+1] despiser of hpmor (10 hours later)
emphatically not
u/CaesarNaples2 [+1] (11 hours later)
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u/Bowbreaker [+1] Solitary Locust (a day later)
What do you mean by starting point? The first rationalist fiction that sparked this subreddit? A story that doesn't require prior knowledge of rationalist ideas? Just any good non-fanfic we can recommend? What?
u/xamueljones [+1] My arch-enemy is entropy (2 days later)
If you are worried about reading fan-fiction, then try reading Exhalation or The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling by Ted Chiang. The Fable of the Dragon Tyrant is another good one to learn that being rationalist means facing a truly terrifying idea instead of flinching away. Only when you face your fears, can you ever accomplish big goals. Or at least that was my interpretation of the three stories.
For fiction about rationalist characters instead of rationalist ideas, there are the Beisutsukai Stories and other fiction by Eliezer Yudkowsky.