Brains in a Vat

[Gary Childress]

Do you think scientists will ever come up with artificial reality to the extent that a person would not be able to tell they are in an artificial reality and would mistakenly think they are in reality? And if so, is it possible that we are living in an artificial reality now and don't realize it?

[Harbal]

Do you think scientists will ever come up with artificial reality to the extent that a person would not be able to tell they are in an artificial reality and would mistakenly think they are in reality? And if so, is it possible that we are living in an artificial reality now and don't realize it?

If we are living in an artificial reality, I think the system must still be in the early stages of development. I can't imagine why anyone would come up with this particular simulation on purpose.

[Iwannaplato]

Do you think scientists will ever come up with artificial reality to the extent that a person would not be able to tell they are in an artificial reality and would mistakenly think they are in reality? And if so, is it possible that we are living in an artificial reality now and don't realize it?

There are philosophers who consider it possible (to likely) that we are in a simulation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulation_hypothesis

I think the answer is yes. I think that we will be able to come with such a thing technologically. One reason I think this is because everyday life already has people who live in a dream, where ideas are seen as real, and they are not quite connected to specifics. Obviously this is not total, but I see a tendency and often it is surprising how disconnected people can be from experience of others or things, while clearly in the realm of ideas. They experience people and things through very rigid ideas about what they are like. Now this can also be argued to be true of all of us, but I think there are significant degrees of difference between individuals and how much, for example. confirmation bias, affects what they think they just read, met, experienced.

Then also the way people sink into virtual reality and digital social lives - where everything is presentation, even at the current levels of technology, I think it is likely that with improvements in technology more and more will disappear into these realms. Once you toss AI into the mix, people may well end up in local, individual simulated worlds, interacting with no one.

[Gary Childress]

Do you think scientists will ever come up with artificial reality to the extent that a person would not be able to tell they are in an artificial reality and would mistakenly think they are in reality? And if so, is it possible that we are living in an artificial reality now and don't realize it?

If we are living in an artificial reality, I think the system must still be in the early stages of development. I can't imagine why anyone would come up with this particular simulation on purpose.

Neither can I. Life is lonely and meaningless. I want my money back.

[Harbal]

Do you think scientists will ever come up with artificial reality to the extent that a person would not be able to tell they are in an artificial reality and would mistakenly think they are in reality? And if so, is it possible that we are living in an artificial reality now and don't realize it?

If we are living in an artificial reality, I think the system must still be in the early stages of development. I can't imagine why anyone would come up with this particular simulation on purpose.

Neither can I. Life is lonely and meaningless. I want my money back.

I agree that our existence is meaningless, but I don't see that as a bad thing; in fact, I think I prefer it. I don't really like having obligations to fulfil. It just strikes me that, were this a simulation, it would have a purpose built into it, unless it was created by someone who wasn't quite sure what they were doing. I suppose it could be God's first attempt at it.

[Gary Childress]

If we are living in an artificial reality, I think the system must still be in the early stages of development. I can't imagine why anyone would come up with this particular simulation on purpose.

Neither can I. Life is lonely and meaningless. I want my money back.

I agree that our existence is meaningless, but I don't see that as a bad thing; in fact, I think I prefer it. I don't really like having obligations to fulfil. It just strikes me that, were this a simulation, it would have a purpose built into it, unless it was created by someone who wasn't quite sure what they were doing. I suppose it could be God's first attempt at it.

I just wish all my life savings which I gave to a woman when she needed it most to save her and her daughter from destitution meant something.

[Gary Childress]

Life is worthless. There's no God, possibly just some 12-year-old programming genius who created the computer that is running this shit simulation I'm living in.

[Harbal]

Neither can I. Life is lonely and meaningless. I want my money back.

I agree that our existence is meaningless, but I don't see that as a bad thing; in fact, I think I prefer it. I don't really like having obligations to fulfil. It just strikes me that, were this a simulation, it would have a purpose built into it, unless it was created by someone who wasn't quite sure what they were doing. I suppose it could be God's first attempt at it.

I just wish all my life savings which I gave to a woman when she needed it most to save her and her daughter from destitution meant something.

Do you suspect you were programmed to give the money away, Gary?

[Iwannaplato]

Neither can I. Life is lonely and meaningless. I want my money back.

I agree that our existence is meaningless, but I don't see that as a bad thing; in fact, I think I prefer it. I don't really like having obligations to fulfil. It just strikes me that, were this a simulation, it would have a purpose built into it, unless it was created by someone who wasn't quite sure what they were doing. I suppose it could be God's first attempt at it.

I just wish all my life savings which I gave to a woman when she needed it most to save her and her daughter from destitution meant something.

That meant something.

[Gary Childress]

I agree that our existence is meaningless, but I don't see that as a bad thing; in fact, I think I prefer it. I don't really like having obligations to fulfil. It just strikes me that, were this a simulation, it would have a purpose built into it, unless it was created by someone who wasn't quite sure what they were doing. I suppose it could be God's first attempt at it.

I just wish all my life savings which I gave to a woman when she needed it most to save her and her daughter from destitution meant something.

That meant something.

Yes. I think it meant I threw away 60,000. Now I'm broke.

[Iwannaplato]

I just wish all my life savings which I gave to a woman when she needed it most to save her and her daughter from destitution meant something.

That meant something.

Yes. I think it meant I threw away 60,000. Now I'm broke.

I'm not sure you, at this point in your life, should be the person saving people. But still, unless they were scam artists, you did a kind thing that meant something to them. Your heart was in the right place, but perhaps you need to take care of yourself first until further notice. And 60,000 is a lot. There are churches and the state and sometimes we need to take care of ourselves, even if it seems like we should sacrifice ourselves.

[Fairy]

Do you think scientists will ever come up with artificial reality to the extent that a person would not be able to tell they are in an artificial reality and would mistakenly think they are in reality? And if so, is it possible that we are living in an artificial reality now and don't realize it?

One is living in a reality one thinks one is living in.

If one thinks reality is an artificial one, then that’s what it will be, and there wouldn’t necessarily be any reason to be mistaken about that thought if that’s what that thought is telling you.

[Gary Childress]

Do you think scientists will ever come up with artificial reality to the extent that a person would not be able to tell they are in an artificial reality and would mistakenly think they are in reality? And if so, is it possible that we are living in an artificial reality now and don't realize it?

One is living in a reality one thinks one is living in.

I agree with the above in the sense that it's a truism.

As a student of philosophy, I usually end up thinking about it more and wondering what is a better or more accurate picture of things, and sometimes I wonder if those two conditions (better and accurate) are mutually exclusive to each other, but describe radically different things. I'm always afraid of the calm because I'm afraid of the storm that sometimes follows.

[Fairy]

Do you think scientists will ever come up with artificial reality to the extent that a person would not be able to tell they are in an artificial reality and would mistakenly think they are in reality? And if so, is it possible that we are living in an artificial reality now and don't realize it?

One is living in a reality one thinks one is living in.

I agree with the above in the sense that it's a truism.

As a student of philosophy, I usually end up thinking about it more and wondering what is a better or more accurate picture of things, and sometimes I wonder if those two conditions (better and accurate) are mutually exclusive to each other, but describe radically different things. I'm always afraid of the calm because I'm afraid of the storm that sometimes follows.

Reality can be anything that thought imposes on it. It can also be simply what it is, just this simple unknowable as it is isness.

So thought imposes a secondary overlay upon this unknowable isness, which appears apparently to change it, where it becomes what that thought says it is, which can be anything at all really. It can’t really be known what it is, except what conceptual thought overlayed upon it says it is.

[Gary Childress]

One is living in a reality one thinks one is living in.

I agree with the above in the sense that it's a truism.

As a student of philosophy, I usually end up thinking about it more and wondering what is a better or more accurate picture of things, and sometimes I wonder if those two conditions (better and accurate) are mutually exclusive to each other, but describe radically different things. I'm always afraid of the calm because I'm afraid of the storm that sometimes follows.

Reality can be anything that thought imposes on it. It can also be simply what it is, just this simple unknowable as it is isness.

So thought imposes a secondary overlay upon this unknowable isness, which appears apparently to change it, where it becomes what that thought says it is, which can be anything at all really. It can’t really be known what it is, except what conceptual thought overlayed upon it says it is.

Probably. Maybe.