From: Spudboy100@aol.com
Date: Thu Jul 10 2003 - 19:27:14 MDT
Two Extropes get honorable mention in this Ken Silber aticle
http://www.techcentralstation.com/1051/techwrapper.jsp?PID=1051-250&CID=1051-071003C5.0.
<<The idea that reality as we experience it may be a technologically based simulation is a staple of science fiction, showing up in films such as The Matrix, Total Recall and Vanilla Sky. It also has been of some interest to philosophers, who raise scenarios involving brains in vats and so forth as a way of contemplating the nature of knowledge.
In the past couple of years, though, the idea has gained some credence as a plausible or likely description of how things actually are. Philosopher Nick Bostrom of Oxford University has presented a simulation argument, which holds that there is a significant chance we do live in a simulation. His reasoning runs as follows: A technologically advanced civilization (such as humanity may become) would have enormous computing power, which could be used to create numerous simulations (complete with consciousness) of the civilization's own ancestors. Thus, there are three possibilities (which, in the absence of further information, Bostrom sees as equally likely):>>
And
<<Drawing upon Bostrom's ideas, Robin Hanson, an economist at George Mason University, wrote a paper on "How to Live in a Simulation." Hanson's guidelines are not so much an ethical theory as a way to minimize the possibility the simulation's controllers will get bored and pull the plug. Among other things, he suggests that people should "care less about others," "live more for today," and "keep the famous people around you happy and interested in you.">>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Thu Jul 10 2003 - 19:38:45 MDT