[ExI] Simulation

[Bryan Bishop]

On Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 4:52 AM, Ben Zaiboc wrote:
> Maybe the problem is the word "Simulation".  Some people take it to mean 'not real', and some take it to mean 'reconstructed', or something close to that.

Here's one problem that you might not be thinking about- how could a
simulation (inside of the reality that we live in and to some extent
haven't yet experienced) ever fundamentally replace the reality that
it is running within?

" ... And more, I would say that the so-called virtual realities are
misnamed: they should be called something like "simulated
experiences." Because they aren't real, and can never be so, any more
than a map can be the territory. And more, for the same reason that a
map is necessarily less detailed than the territory that it describes,
a virtual reality can only ever be a pale shadow of the real thing.
Such constructs might prove amusing, or even useful and illuminating,
but how could they ever take the place of the essential reality that
they represent? ..."

- Bryan
http://heybryan.org/
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