| The simulation hypothesis is pretty much a materialist's way of postponing the "hard problem of consciousness". It's like Neo when he escaped the Matrix only to find himself in the subterranean world. What if THAT world was also a simulation? In fact it's hilarious because in the movie he would have far more ground to believe that he still wasn't free, seeing as he just escaped a simulation. Of course it's a movie... I really think that the simulation hypothesis is a positive development. It shows that people are at least considering the question. It's like dipping toes in the cold water. You can see there is the willingness to go there, but they have their feet still firmly planted in the materialist view. It's an attempt at bridging the gap... but like they say in some teachings... to reach the other side of the river, you have to leave this one first =) So you have guys like Bernardo Kastrup talking about idealism, or variations on it. There is an enormous difference between entertaining the idea, and actually grasping what it means. To truly grasp it, your world crumbles down. Everything you've built your life on, you have to see has never existed. Ultimately it's all from the same source. It's all for show. edit: didn't mean to be dramatic, but you would lose a lot of motivation in life, at least in the current paradigm. Or you have to live counter-current. Now you see your life as sacred and completely unknowable, but your values no longer fit in a society driven by separation and profit. A very uncomfortable position to be in? In fact now that I think about it it's funny, because that's exactly the same with this "simulation" theory. You can see there has to be a disconnect here. There is the idea, and there is what it actually means. In theory it should in fact be extremely freeing to truly grasp that we are "simulated" since that would mean you no longer need to worry about dying, or striving for anything at all. Because by the mere fact of being simulated, somehow someone deemed it worthwhiole to spend the energy to do so. Your entire life purpose and meaning is self evident. Yet we don't feel free, we still strive to "become" someone.. to "achieve" something... so that tells us two things: 1) we are merely entertaining ideas and 2) we are biologically wired to believe to we do exist, and that we are not simulated (much has to do with the left brain hemisphere, I am guessing). |