[extropy-chat] The world as a Sim ? Irrelevant

[Brett Paatsch]

Samantha wrote:

> On Wednesday 05 November 2003 18:33, Brett Paatsch wrote:
[Eliezer]
> > >  The question is whether almost all of you are
> > > simulated, or almost all of you are real.
> >
> > I know I'm real.  Do you know you are real?
> >
> 
> The wording itself is suspect.   Reality is relative to and includes
> context.  Within the sim you are and experience yourself precisely
> as being just as real as if you are outside a sim.  Why is the original
> running of universe as we know it more privileged than a fully virtual
> running of an equally complex universe with just as many (perhaps
> more) degrees of freedom?  Or, if you like, why is meat space forever
> priviliged over any and all virtual spaces no matter how much more 
> accomodating to everything we hold most dear that any such space
> could be?

I think its a good maxim to hold words (as potentially mislabelled 'cans'
of concepts) suspect most of the time but I am not entirely sure whether
you are referring to my wording or to Eliezer's or both. I'd recommending
holding both suspect out of an abundance of caution, not of getting hurt
or because I think either Eliezer or I would attempt to deceive you in any
deep way but just because of the potential for misunderstanding. You 
ferocious and redoubtable Samantha are very good at understanding
words (but other youngsters like me are potentially reading too so I
write in part for them). 

I have never been outside of the world in which I live (although the
world in which I live is I suspect a bit larger than some folks worlds and
my world is growing and deepening all the time). Your statement that
"you are and experience yourself precisely as being just as real as if 
you are outside a sim" then, simply does not work for me. You are
'inviting' me to consider something about me that you cannot know 
and I do. That is that I have never been outside my world.  I suspect
you have not been outside yours either but are creating it with typical
Samantha gusto and fervour and ferocity every single  day. If you 
encounter local deities why I bet you will march right up to them and
demand that they give an account of themselves to you or they can
just bloody well bugger off. God bless you for that Samantha and don't
hold back on the deities but take it a little easy on the flora and the 
fauna and the young as they do not always get it and so there needs
to be some rules so that they have space to learn and grow in safely.

Brett
[pan-critical non-believer]