From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Wed Mar 14 2001 - 14:59:45 MST
hal@finney.org wrote:
>
> Another possible prediction is that prayer could be more likely to
> work, if we are in a simulation. It would mean that God does exist, or
> someone who largely possesses the traditional properties of omniscience,
> omnipotence and omnipresence. And we might assume that this God
> (i.e. the entity running the simulation), being human or a descendant,
> shares some of our psychology, and might therefore be motivated to aid
> or assist someone who appeals to him for help.
Alternately prayer, or rather addressing the "etheric intelligence"
would work in a Utility Fog permeated environment or its equivalent. At
least it would work within the limits established for the VR or
environment. Presumably there are certain parameters to the thing that
are not to be broken lightly or the purpose of setting it up in the
first place might be forfeited.
>
> Perhaps a new religion could be built around the concept that we live in
> such a world, and that by appealing to the God which runs the simulation
> we can be uploaded from our mortal existence, a technological Rapture.
> Who knows, it might even work.
Why appeal to this being when we have "been given" the means to figure
it out and upload ourselves? The answer to such a request would have
to look like that to keep the parameters of the VR intact most likely
anyway.
- samantha
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