[ExI] A Simulation Argument

[Ian Goddard]

BillK wrote:

>>  Another way to look at it is this: suppose we 
>> created a computer sim with aware occupants. They
>> would not engage the tower-of-turtles problem were
>> they to posit that they were in a simulation. ~Ian
>
> 
> You are just playing with words.
> 
> If any being / thing creates a simulated world 
> *ever* then it is de facto the possible start of a 
> descending tower of simulations. And then the 
> being / thing speculates that maybe his own 
> universe is in a simulation, starting the upward 
> spiral of simulations.
> 
> There is no way that you can insist that only one 
> level of simulation is permissible, just because it 
> suits your speculation.


 Bill, I don't arbitrarily say only one level is
permissible. I'm saying that proposing that one's
level is a simulation does not necessitate that a
higher level is too. That necessary connection which
you claim is there is not there. Again, if beings in
our simulation posit that *they* are in a simulation,
that does not entail that they posit that *we* are in
a simulation. They posit and imply nothing about the
origins of our level, just that it's above them.

 Let's look at a real tower-of-turtles problem. If I
posit (the 'God' theory) that 'Something created
everything that exists, and x created the universe',
I've paradoxically placed x (at the level above) in
the set of things necessarily created calling for
something at a still higher level to have created x.
'So then who created God?' Now that's a genuine
tower-of-turtles problem, and we can see why it's
unique from simulation theory -- because it tries to
throw an explanatory circle around all that exists,
whereas simulation theory tries to explain only the
nature of the things visible to the theorist. ~Ian


http://IanGoddard.net 

"What is 'real'? How do you define 'real'? If you are
talking about what you feel, smell, taste, and see,
then 'real' is merely electrical signals interpreted
by your brain." - Morpheus 

 
 


      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Looking for last minute shopping deals?  
Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.  http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping