From: Stephen de Vries (PHEN@wwg3.uovs.ac.za)
Date: Mon Sep 02 2002 - 07:07:56 MDT
On Sat, 31 Aug David Musick wrote:
> When we're uploaded, we'll be able to experience incredibly detailed worlds,
> even entire lifetimes. We could even make the part of ourselves experiencing
> the lifetimes forget that they are really an upload, so that the life
> experience seems more real, so that we could fully immerse ourselves in the
> life experience.
>
> Considering this, I can't help wondering if this has already happened. Am I
> an upload, living in a virtual world? I can't think of any way to prove that
> I'm NOT living in a virtual world. Although, there may be ways to prove that
> one IS living in a virtual world, although I don't have any strong evidence
> for the theory that I AM living in a virtual world.
As you say, there is no way of answering this question. A pratical
solution is to ask: "What will be the effect on my life if I believe
that I`m living in a virtual world?" If you like the results, go for
it. I prefer to think that we are living in a virtual world, and I`m
discovering the keys to manipulating it from the _outside_.
Again this has no relevance to objective reality (whatever than
means), it only makes life a little more interesting.
> Now, I can see a lot of people on this list recoiling from the idea
that we
> are already living in a virtual world because this would open up the
> possiblilty that a lot of the Mystical, New-Age, Religious "bullshit" is
> correct. If we are living in a virtual world, then "miracles" would be very
> possible, like special effects in a movie. It would also open up the
> possibility that we DO have some kind of "spirit" or "soul", in relation to
> the lifetime we are experiencing (that is, that we have the major part of
> ourselves living somewhere else besides this lifetime).
>
> However, I don't think that it is valid to reject the idea that we are already
> living in a virtual world, simply because it opens up the possibilities that
> the "irrationalists" are right about certain aspects of reality.
I am always right about my reality, I`ve defined it that way. I can
only comment on _my_ reality (I know of no other)
> is some truth to what they are saying. But, then again, maybe not, but I'm
> not finding it easy to dismiss the idea that I *MAY* already be living in a
> virtual world. How could I tell the difference?
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Stephen de Vries phen@wwg3.uovs.ac.za
www.geocities.com/athens/7415
"Nothing is true. Everything is permitted" - Hassan i Sabbah
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