[ExI] simulation as an improvement over reality.

[Ben Zaiboc]

Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> commented:

> This is easy, why have so many people have such
> troubles to get it?


I think I know why.

I think it's because dualistic thinking has such a stranglehold on our minds.  It's deeply ingrained, as can be seen by the prevalence of superstition, especially religions, in all human populations.

Many people will vehemently deny that they are thinking dualistically, then immediately go back to discussing the mysterious animus that can't be captured, described, transferred by ordinary physical processes, or even coherently thought about, in most cases. Someone coined the term "Crypto-Dualists" for such people, a while ago, and I think it's very appropriate.

This mysterious animus goes by many names (as long as it's not "soul"), but it's evidently not possible for a person to inherit it from their self-of-a-while-ago, unless they are made of the same stuff as that previous self. And it can't be duplicated. And it is the sole thing which makes them them. (Heh. "Sole thing").

When told that it simply doesn't exist, that there's no need for it and that it goes against the observed facts and logic, they get upset, start talking about 'zombies' or start jumping up and down shouting "but it wouldn't be YOU!", and construct elaborate schemes to prove it (rather reminds me of Ptolemaic astronomy, or the contortions of theologians when confronted with common-sense).  

This despite the fact that they acknowledge that the 'zombies' or whatever they want to call them, would behave exactly the same as the 'original' would under the same circumstances, and would have exactly the same memories, and would in fact be the same person, in every detail (except for the little fact that they would not actually be the same person).

I agree with the people who say that natural selection will decisively end the argument, and the supposed not-you zombies will be the ones who carry the torch of intelligence into the future.  These zombies-that-are-not-you will be blissfully unaware of their woeful lack of.. world-lines or atomic continuity or whatever, and it won't make the slightest bit of difference to anyone or anything.

I must admit that I had a bit of this crypto-dualism myself, until I read Linda Nagata's 'Vast'.  I finally realised, after thinking about it for a while, that the pilot of the starship Null Boundary wasn't in fact committing suicide every 90 seconds at all, he was doing nothing more significant than what I do every morning when I wake up and can't remember the dream I was just having.

Ben Zaiboc