From: Spudboy100@aol.com
Date: Sun Feb 03 2002 - 20:51:24 MST
In a message dated 2/3/2002 8:43:41 PM Eastern Standard Time,
cyixiong@yahoo.com writes:
<< How do we know we can fulfill all the following criteria:
1) live in a computer simulation
2) have sentient beings outside the simulation taking an interest in us
3) that sentient beings actually bringing us "alive"
4) that they will treat us with pleasant circumstances
5) that no accidents will occur to break this thread of events (like a
computer crash)
>>
I am not guaranteeing anything. I had no part in the design of reality and
hold no other person to blame or credit for the way the universe is.
And....
<<6) that we have a sufficient definition of what we call the "self"
[what do we mean by the self?]
7) that it still matters after we die (as our "original" consciousness had
disappeared
[if someone made a copy of you and instantiate you at another place, does it
matter to the original "you"?]
8) that our host universe will last forever, or it consists of a simulation
that will fulfill the above creteria and this forever
(in a never-ending loop)>>
Again, we were just engaging in pendantic speculations. If we had some
effective control then...
<<What if we have to die one day? How would we confront with the situation
that, despite our technological powress and knowledge, we
will still have to die?
<<What if we have to die one day? How would we confront with the situation
that, despite our technological powress and knowledge, we
will still have to die?>>
We will. We shall, unless a miracle technology comes along, or cryonics
proves correct.
<<It does not matter who and what preprogrammed, predisposed or did whatever
to our universe, but why do we even bother to continue subjecting ourselves
to these assuming that we could break free of these and look at the question
objectively. The factual answers may give an apparent meaning, but that
provides only an illusion (or a "sham", as Plato puts it).>>
You have your life as for as long as you are murdered, die by mishap or
disease or suicide. How do you wish to spend your remaining time? Some of us
look for solutions in religious brainwashing, others seem to be like B.F.
Skinner, and deliberately focus on other matters, some believe technical
miracles will sustain us, until we achieve a computerized singularity, a few
others like myself attempt to build immanginary castles in the air, based on
aspects of physics. If you are asking why live beyond a few decades, I would
say that there are some interesting things I would like to see and do, other
then my "alotted" time. What about yourself?
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Nov 01 2002 - 13:37:37 MST