Peter Jones writes: > Stathis Papaioannou wrote: > > Peter Jones writes: > > > > > > Is it possible that we are currently actors in a single, deterministic, > > > > non-branching > > > > computer program, with the illusion of free will and if-then > > > > contingency in general > > > > being due to the fact that we don't know the details of how the program > > > > will play > > > > out? > > > > > > Lots of things are possible. The question is what to believe. > > > > True, but I thought you were saying that such a thing was incompatible with > > consciousness, > > and I see no reason to believe that. > > There are a lot of prolems with what you are saying. > > I don't think it is possible to get dynamism out of stasis, > and I don't think it is possible to get qualia out of mathematical > structues
But what about a physical computer which creates an entire virtual environment, complete with sentient beings? Once started up it would be completely deterministic, just as a recording would be. It could have if-then statements but these would not make any difference, given initial conditions. (A recording also has if-then statements, in that if the input were different, the output would also be different.) This could as easily be a real model of a classical universe, with no interference from outside once initial conditions + laws of physics had been set. The if-then statements are implicit in the laws of physics: if I throw a rock, it will follow a parabolic trajectory and shatter the window. As an inhabitant of the univerese I think I have free will in deciding whether or not to throw the rock, but in fact this is no more indeterminate than the workings of a clockwork mechanism. My understanding is that standard computationalism allows for consciousness to occur in such a universe, even if it isn't the universe we actually live in. If not, then you have to abandon computationalism and embrace something like Penrose's theory in which essentially non-computable quantum effects are responsible for consciousness; or maybe we've just all been issued with a soul by God. Stathis Papaioannou _________________________________________________________________ Be one of the first to try Windows Live Mail. http://ideas.live.com/programpage.aspx?versionId=5d21c51a-b161-4314-9b0e-4911fb2b2e6d --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
