Virtual universe

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mvh18

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Was reading about this proposition the other day, hope it hasn’t been posted before. The question is, will humans ever be able to generate an entire virtual universe on a computer, similar to the Sims, whereby characters within the programme are completely oblivious to the fact that they are within a programme (until now 😃 ). If so, how do we know that we are the ‘real’ humans, and not part of the virtually created universe? My head hurts thinking about this one.
 
mvh18 said:
Was reading about this proposition the other day, hope it hasn’t been posted before. The question is, will humans ever be able to generate an entire virtual universe on a computer, similar to the Sims, whereby characters within the programme are completely oblivious to the fact that they are within a programme (until now 😃 ). If so, how do we know that we are the ‘real’ humans, and not part of the virtually created universe? My head hurts thinking about this one.
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yeah, its called warcraft 🙂
 
Eucharisted said:
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

That reminds me of how a friend described WoW: “The most amazing, exciting, awesome waste of time you’ll ever have. Never start Warcraft. Ever.”
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yeah, they suckered me in with a 1.99 trial and now i cant wait to see how much gold i earned athe auction house over nite. sad…just plain sad
 
mvh18 said:
Was reading about this proposition the other day, hope it hasn’t been posted before. The question is, will humans ever be able to generate an entire virtual universe on a computer, similar to the Sims, whereby characters within the programme are completely oblivious to the fact that they are within a programme (until now 😃 ). If so, how do we know that we are the ‘real’ humans, and not part of the virtually created universe? My head hurts thinking about this one.
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Okay in seriousness, it’s a valid philosophical question and actually a scientific one. It could be, that a lifeform WAY before our time became intelligent, and could understand conciousness, and program it into a computer.

And then that compter could, literally create its own computer within itself, to create more worlds just like us. We could literally be living in a matrix.

The problem with this theory, is similar to the problem of the theory that an infinate amount of universes could exist. Infinity is hard to understand.

If infinity exists, we could not. We would already HAVE existed , in an infinite world and in an infite past. If infinity is real, then due to it’s nature, we would have infinitely existed.

Infinity makes no sense.

There is a reason most christians accept an infinite punishment for a finite transgression. Infinity, doesn’t compute. If they thought about it and weren’t incredibly brutal and vengeful humans, even the very nastiest of the nasties the hitlers and the stalins…could never possibly suffer for infinity…and God still be called loving.

Infinity is incomprehensible to science and to theology. It is accepted however by both as a reality.

Imagine that. They both agree on something 😃
 
mvh18 said:
Was reading about this proposition the other day, hope it hasn’t been posted before. The question is, will humans ever be able to generate an entire virtual universe on a computer, similar to the Sims, whereby characters within the programme are completely oblivious to the fact that they are within a programme (until now 😃 ). If so, how do we know that we are the ‘real’ humans, and not part of the virtually created universe? My head hurts thinking about this one.
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As a pragmatist, I’ll ask the usual question about such philosophical issues: what practical difference could it possibly make to believe that we live in a virtual universe as opposed to a real universe?
 
Leela said:
As a pragmatist, I’ll ask the usual question about such philosophical issues: what practical difference could it possibly make to believe that we live in a virtual universe as opposed to a real universe?
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I’m with you on this one. Unfortunately, the fact that we have agreed on two threads now means that some people will think we are the same person. Sorry about that.

To me this is like the Freewill/ Determinism debate. Whatever your feelings, whatever you decide, it doesn’t change a darn thing. If we do live in a cleverly designed program, or a real universe, it’s the only universe we’ve got.
 
Leela said:
As a pragmatist, I’ll ask the usual question about such philosophical issues: what practical difference could it possibly make to believe that we live in a virtual universe as opposed to a real universe?
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it makes the world of difference; if it’s the latter then I need to start hacking the internet at the early hours of the morning trying to make contact with Morpheus ASAP!
 
Dameedna said:
Okay in seriousness, it’s a valid philosophical question and actually a scientific one. It could be, that a lifeform WAY before our time became intelligent, and could understand conciousness, and program it into a computer.

And then that compter could, literally create its own computer within itself, to create more worlds just like us. We could literally be living in a matrix.

The problem with this theory, is similar to the problem of the theory that an infinate amount of universes could exist. Infinity is hard to understand.

If infinity exists, we could not. We would already HAVE existed , in an infinite world and in an infite past. If infinity is real, then due to it’s nature, we would have infinitely existed.

Infinity makes no sense.

There is a reason most christians accept an infinite punishment for a finite transgression. Infinity, doesn’t compute. If they thought about it and weren’t incredibly brutal and vengeful humans, even the very nastiest of the nasties the hitlers and the stalins…could never possibly suffer for infinity…and God still be called loving.

Infinity is incomprehensible to science and to theology. It is accepted however by both as a reality.

Imagine that. They both agree on something 😃
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interesting idea, not sure if I understand you fully though. So technically, the idea of infinite expanding-collapsing universes could also be discredited simply because we, a finite human species in a finite universe exist? my head hurts.
 
Sideline said:
I’m with you on this one. Unfortunately, the fact that we have agreed on two threads now means that some people will think we are the same person. Sorry about that.

To me this is like the Freewill/ Determinism debate. Whatever your feelings, whatever you decide, it doesn’t change a darn thing. If we do live in a cleverly designed program, or a real universe, it’s the only universe we’ve got.
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Hi Sideline,

The pragmatic method sure clears up a lot of metaphysical problems. Do you consider yourself a pragmatist?

This virtual universe question reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend a long time ago. I raised the question of why a universe would bother to exist, and my friend had the idea that maybe the universe was actually created by a higher intelligence. After thinking about it for a while we realized that even if we decided that universe actually was created by a higher intelligence, we had come no closer to answering the original question because we had no idea why this hypothetical higher intelligence would create a universe.

Best,
Leela
 
mvh18 said:
interesting idea, not sure if I understand you fully though. So technically, the idea of infinite expanding-collapsing universes could also be discredited simply because we, a finite human species in a finite universe exist? my head hurts.
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a cyclic universe is discovery channel science, its denied in its first form by entropy and in its later forms by the lack of proof of dark matter, energy, and, variations on string theory i.e. m-theory, etc

on the pure logic front, something cannot come from nothing.
 
MindOverMatter said:
They’ll never believe it! For them its too far fetched!😃
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yeah its hilarious that rationalism is the excuse for atheism.

there is little more irrational than the insistence that something must come from nothing.

logic, physics, mathematics, deny atheism, yet they keep on truckin’

i wonder where they go when they leave here?
 
Warpspeedpetey and MindOverMatter,

You both did an excellent job showing how logic, physics and mathematics deny atheism in the thread on “Thomistic proofs for the existence of God in light of modern science.” Your clear and critical thinking is refreshing to have on these forums. Thank you.🙂
 
ready said:
Warpspeedpetey and MindOverMatter,

You both did an excellent job showing how logic, physics and mathematics deny atheism in the thread on “Thomistic proofs for the existence of God in light of modern science.” Your clear and critical thinking is refreshing to have on these forums. Thank you.🙂
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awww, your gonna make me blush:blush:
 
warpspeedpetey said:
yeah its hilarious that rationalism is the excuse for atheism.

there is little more irrational than the insistence that something must come from nothing.

logic, physics, mathematics, deny atheism, yet they keep on truckin’

i wonder where they go when they leave here?
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The intellectual underpinnings are missing from the new atheists.

Good Job!
 
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