Fwd: Re: How To Live In A Simulation

From: Robin Hanson (rhanson@gmu.edu)
Date: Thu Mar 15 2001 - 06:27:42 MST


>Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 11:50:29 -0500
>To: Lee Corbin <lcorbin@ricochet.net>
>From: Robin Hanson <rhanson@gmu.edu>
>Subject: Re: How To Live In A Simulation
>Cc: hal@finney.org
>
>Lee Corbin wrote:
>>The main purpose of running past simulations will probably be to
>>answer intriguing historical questions, e.g., what would have
>>happened if the Germans had not won World War II. ...
>>History could be chaotic enough that failure to emulate 10^9
>>people or more results in unrealistic simulations,
>
>I agree that for this purpose this might be the attitude.
>But if someone wants to learn about a particular battle,
>you might not have to simulate the whole world. And if someone
>says to their holodeck "take me back to a party at the millennium",
>it also might not need to simulate much beyond the party.
>
>>... I know that indeed I'm a nice guy :-)
>
>Reassuring I'm sure.

Robin Hanson rhanson@gmu.edu http://hanson.gmu.edu
Asst. Prof. Economics, George Mason University
MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
703-993-2326 FAX: 703-993-2323



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