[ExI] simulation as an improvement over reality

[Adrian Tymes]

On Fri, Dec 24, 2010 at 2:26 AM, BillK <pharos at gmail.com> wrote:
> I don't see how an entity that lives over 1000 years can be expected
> to behave like a 25 year old puppy, leaping around excitedly at every
> 'new' (to them) thing encountered.

It has been demonstrated, in humans, that one of the keys to staying
fit mentally - which has strong correlation, and is likely a cause of,
staying fit physically - in older years is to behave like a 75 year old
puppy, instead of settling down and doing not much.

We might not be able to predict exactly how a 1000 year old upload
would think, but to the extent that is true, there is no basis for
speculation about anything.  To the extent that we can infer from what
we know today, "get bored" seems like it might be poison to such an
entity (cause for suicide aside), a thing to be actively avoided.  There's
certainly enough that we know of already, to keep such a being
mentally active for at least tens or hundreds of thousands of years (in
whatever time frame it experiences them in), not counting any new
discoveries or fields it may open up.

Therefore, speculation that a 1000, or even 10,000 or 100,000, year
old entity would inevitably, or even probably, get bored and shut
itself off seems to be entirely baseless.  More to the point, it seems
counterproductive - similar to, but a lesser degree than, speculating
that anonymous members of [insert non-self ethnic/social group here]
are going to rise up tomorrow and torture/maim/kill [insert own
ethnic/social group here] for the fun of it, as a reason to execute or
imprison all members of [insert non-self ethnic/social group here]
before that can happen.