h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Dmitri,

Am I counted?

This argument becomes popular every now and then. In a way, it is similar to some of the global skepticism arguments about brains in vats.

I think it is interesting but ultimately unconvincing, the flaw being the meaningful assignment of prior probabilities in a Bayesian sense.

I agree - it struck me as being much like the 'brain in a vat' argument. In fact, I watched an indie movie about the subject last night - they started with string theory and parallel realities, and ended up with a patient who was pretty much a BIV.

If I knew what 'meaningful assignment of prior probabilities' was, or even what 'Bayesian' meant, I might be able to understand why you aren't convinced. I'll have to go away and learn these things.

In the meantime, carry on.

Psiominac, I wasn't seriously proposing putting my fingers in my ears and going 'la-la-la' as a responsible belief-forming method!

But anyways, about the idea of 'this' reality being a simulation: I've been long thinking of it of course. Well if this was a simulation, there might be glitches! Imagine seeing something like this in real life:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sotqQFRUeHE

If you've ever had something like that happen to you, please tell me.

Bored programmers, exploits...that video took me back to my days as a gamemaster - and made me very grateful I'm not still one.

Actually, I get them all the time when I wake up at night. But I *think* it's a problem with my visual cortex and/or night depth perception and/or intraocular implants...of course, it could be a glitch in the matrix...

Which does point to a problem with forming philosophical theories: they are constructs which purport to describe realities, but may not, in fact, do anything of the sort. No matter how consistent they are.

Willem,

Great link, very funny! No, nothing like that in 'real' life

More on the simulation argument:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08zb4d8

I'll check that out when I have a bit of internet time.