Is it possible Life is nothing more than a complex simulation? Feedback

Realistically we all are one chemical reaction after another, every thought, every action, just chemicals.

reply to post by Neo_Serf


So (sub)atomic particles didn't exist before high-powered microscopes did?

In your opinion.. did the Universe exist before there was someone to observe it?

Originally posted by Romekje
reply to post by Neo_Serf

 

So (sub)atomic particles didn't exist before high-powered microscopes did?

In your opinion.. did the Universe exist before there was someone to observe it?

I know youre gonna get all quantum physic-y and shrodingers cat on me, but yes, seeing as we can observe star systems that outdate our consciousness by billions of years, im gonna go out on a limb here and say that the big bang came a little bit before us.

reply to post by Neo_Serf


No i'm not, but since you state yourself that what we can't percieve does not exist i think it's a simple and valid question. It's questions like these that really get my mind going and make me think about what and who we really are and i don't think it's fair to tell the OP not to waste time on subjects like these.

It's these type of questions we should be asking eachother in our education systems and contemplate on them together as a collective because im pretty sure the answer behind this exact question is behind alot of the secret societies and conspiracies that get discussed on this site.

Originally posted by Romekje
reply to post by Neo_Serf

 

No i'm not, but since you state yourself that what we can't percieve does not exist i think it's a simple and valid question. It's questions like these that really get my mind going and make me think about what and who we really are and i don't think it's fair to tell the OP not to waste time on subjects like these.

It's these type of questions we should be asking eachother in our education systems and contemplate on them together as a collective because im pretty sure the answer behind this exact question is behind alot of the secret societies and conspiracies that get discussed on this site.

Sure and perhaps Im out of line potentially blocking what could be a productive line of thinking that could yield some useful insights into the nature of reality.

But imo this is just not the case, and I feel strongly in this because I was stuck in this very loop for years myself, and while it was fun to play with the idea of the unknowable, eventually I came to the conclusion that the unknowable is just that, and since it is just that, I redirected my focus to investigate the real and sensual, and this change of course has lead me to unprecedented personal grown and joy, whereas before i was just going in circles.

To me, chasing unanswerable questions is a fools errand that brings nothing but uncertainty, irrational and unproductive doubt, and in the case of many a philosopher, madness. The point of philosophy is to bring happiness into ones life, and forever chasing ghosts and demons is to me a recipe for certain lifelong torment.

Lets investigate the basic knowables first, and once weve agreed upon them, then perhaps we should move into the more abstract.

imo.

reply to post by Neo_Serf


I see your point but at the same time, understanding only that what is tangible and understood already doesn't bring you any answers and will only serve the current status quo.

Ain't that exactly what we're trying to break?

Originally posted by Romekje
reply to post by Neo_Serf

 

I see your point but at the same time, understanding only that what is tangible and understood already doesn't bring you any answers and will only serve the current status quo.

Ain't that exactly what we're trying to break?

The thing is that we dont posses, as a species, an objective method to resolve moral disputes. The result of this ignorance is the untold deaths of millions upon millions. We simply must, imo, focus on extending reason and rationality to all spheres of humans life, and to end the moral quagmire that is the modern state. Once we rid ourselves of monopolized hyper violence, then maybe we can sit back and ponder the less life and death issues that are certainly interesting, but are of little consequence in the face of global annihilation.

Originally posted by paperface
Do you visit this site much? Because this has been done to death on here at least a hundred threads on the same subject.

If this is a simulation then its a REPETITIVE one.

I would find this to be the nature of every simulation out there... Just go and play any game for a few months straight, and you will find it immensely repetitive. Even if there was awesome ai that would cause every situation to play out differently each time, it would still be the same game, the same underlying principles and the same ultimate experience.

"All the world's a stage, and on it are merely players" So this has been considered for hundreds of years.

reply to post by Neo_Serf


That depends on what the answer to those questions is.

As long as you don't know the answer to a question you don't know how much impact it can have on.. well.. anything?

If for example this "simulation" is true we should be able to influence it since it's only a simulation, bringing about the answer to MANY other questions/problems we face. If it's no, then we will just have to accept the mayhem we live in at the moment for what it is and try to find our answers in something more mundane.

i don't see how thinking about things we can't know the answer to is the root of all evil. you yourself said:

If youre asking these questions (which are indeed valuable to ponder as long as you dont expend your entire limited life into them

you say its valuable to ponder these questions, then you say its the root of all evil?

schrodinger's cat is a very good example of how science tries to be precise, yet it fails, and simple philosophy provides the answer. the cat cannot both be dead and alive, yet science would say that it is.

there is a part of your brain that is responsible for every facet of existence you experience, and if a part were to be removed, what you can "know" becomes further limited. for example, there is a small part of your brain that allows you to tell people apart by their faces. if it becomes damaged, you simply cannot recognize people's faces. if no one had that part of the brain, would you say that faces are unknowable, and that we shouldn't care?

i'm not suicidal, but i am looking forward to dieing. the life after this one will be much, MUCH better, and so i look forward to it. its the beginning of a great adventure.

Admittedly I did not read all of neo's posts, but it seems to me he missed the point and went off on a rant about nihilism being the root of all evil or some shenannigans. I just couldn't put myself through it.

As to the original point of the thread, yes it is entirely possible that we are actually inside a simulated universe. Check out the simulation argument essay by Nick Bostrom from Oxford.

Simulation Argument