Re: When Programs Benefit

From: Hal Finney (hal@finney.org)
Date: Sun Jun 09 2002 - 18:03:20 MDT


Wei writes:
> If you really want to run a historical simulation, perhaps you
> should ask for permission both to be in the simulation and to erase the
> memory of being asked for and granting this permission, and reobtain
> the permission every so often as the simulation runs.

That's a cool idea. It suggests that we might actually be in that
situation.

So what will each of us do, if we are awakened tonight by the godlike
beings running our historical simulation, and informed that we had given
consent in the past and that we are being asked again if it is OK to
continue participating in the sim? Would each of us agree?

And what happens if someone refuses to participate? The gods would
hate to trash the whole sim. I guess they either have to use a zombie,
which according to some beliefs is impossible, or else an actor.

Hal



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