Re: Simulation argument in the NY Times

From: Diego Navarro (the.electric.me@gmail.com)
Date: Wed Aug 15 2007 - 09:56:50 MDT


> If we made a super intelligent AI and kept it in a machine with no interface to the outside
> world, we would expect it to escape.

Precisely. The whole "unfigureability" of being inside a simulation
depends critically on the assumption that the simulation-maker is
smarter than us. OTOH, singularitarianism depends critically on the
idea that we can make something that's smarter than us.

A weaker form of "The Matrix" can be seen in "The Truman Show" --
where the intelligence advantage of the simulation-makers is not that
large. Truman eventually figures out he's in a simulation because he
starts noticing the regularities. If we turn out to be smarter than
the simulator-maker we can notice too.

This is connected to the nietzschean idea of killing God in a way. I
should really return to work now though, so I'll just drop the bomb
and run.



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