The setup to the trilemma always felt like begging the question. That’s a really, really big if.
The setup to the trilemma always felt like begging the question. That’s a really, really big if.
There are other, better arguments. Like, it appears that simulating our universe is computationally intractable because of the complexity of quantum mechanics. Instead it would make sense to simulate simpler worlds that don't have quantum mechanics, which of course would look completely different.
Another argument from quantum mechanics is that the outcome of most particle reactions is entirely probabilistic, i.e. relies on tons of randomness. It would be dumb to design a simulation based so thoroughly on randomness, because you cannot make conclusions based on the outcome of a single run. Instead, you'd do Monte Carlo simulations, i.e. billions up billions of runs, building a probability distribution, which would make it even more computationally intractable. That'd be completely stupid because you can't even trust your inferences without covering a sufficient amount of the probability space, and that's a problem entirely of your creation.
I am extremely skeptical of people who seriously believe that this insane reality is a simulation. They usually don't know much physics, nor computer science. A simulated world would look completely different just from the basic engineering perspective.
No, I do mean, i.e. and not e.g., because I think intelligence is equivalent to building a better model to make better predictions, including a better model of your own mind.
I still think the setup is such an enormous assumption as to beg the entire question.
Some beg to differ:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgSZA3NPpBs
2016 Asimov Memorial Debate: Is the Universe a Simulation?
Panelists:
David Chalmers Professor of philosophy, New York University
Zohreh Davoudi Theoretical physicist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
James Gates Theoretical physicist, University of Maryland
Lisa Randall Theoretical physicist, Harvard University
Max Tegmark Cosmologist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2020/04/finally-we-may-h...