Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

purple_hamster66 t1_it7zf1b wrote

Our perceptions of reality are created in our heads. Our brains don’t need to get through simulations of infinite worlds to be functional and useful.

For example, the first thing the visual system does to a nice crisp straight line is to blur the heck out of it at the back of the eye. Then our visual system calculates how these blobs move across the eye, and looks through past experiences for things that look like the blurred image (including motion) and makes you perceive a straight line. The same thing happens for the other 5 senses.

If it works so well there, why not use it to perceive consciousness, ideas, and emotions in the same way: as reconstructions?

2

Lawjarp2 t1_it8gh01 wrote

Why not just terraform a planet and create a civilization to observe

1

camdoodlebop t1_itauj8l wrote

that would be way more expensive

1

Lawjarp2 t1_itawli3 wrote

It wouldn't be. Simulation is way more energy intensive. If it wasn't we wouldn't have many diseases as we could test most medicine in simulation.

1

camdoodlebop t1_itax4re wrote

well we don't know how efficient simulations can get, technology is getting more efficient all the time

1

Lawjarp2 t1_itazm4m wrote

AI based simulations are not true simulations, they are approximations. True simulations of the universe, or even just a few molecules, down to the fundamental particles is prohibitively expensive.

1