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Neil deGrasse Tyson Says It's 'Very Likely' The Universe Is A Simulation (extremetech.com)
mspohr quotes a report from ExtremeTech: At the most recent Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate, [scientists gathered to address the question for the year: Is the universe a computer simulation? At the debate, host and celebrity astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson argued that the probability is that we live in a computer simulation.] This is the crux of Tyson's point: if we take it as read that it is, in principle, possible to simulate a universe in some way, at some point in the future, then we have to assume that on an infinite timeline some species, somewhere, will simulate the universe. And if the universe will be perfectly, or near-perfectly, simulated at some point, then we have to examine the possibility that we live inside such a universe. And, on a truly infinite timeline, we might expect an almost infinite number of simulations to arise from an almost infinite number or civilizations -- and indeed, a sophisticated-enough simulation might be able to let its simulated denizens themselves run universal simulations, and at that point all bets are officially off."
Slashdot is deleting comments. What is the point of living anymore? Are they trying to bump up the suicide rates even higher? *sigh*
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
This is the full argument by the person who said that odds are we are living in a simulation: The simulation argument
No, I'm thinking that anyone applying fantasy to considerations of what the "raw odds" of what reality is should back up and look for empirical evidence. Otherwise, where do unicorn farts enter into it?
Plato's theory of forms predates Descartes by nearly 2000 years. And is a form of sim theory, but like Descartes, falls down because the concepts and langage didn't exist to describe it in modern terms.
Learn to love Alaska
There are lots of different species of bat and so it's not that surprising for them to all see by differing amounts. However, no bat is truly blind.
From the Wikipedia page:
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Although the eyes of most microbat species are small and poorly developed, leading to poor visual acuity, no species is blind.[58] Microbats use vision to navigate, especially for long distances when beyond the range of echolocation,[59] and species that are gleaners—that is, ones that attempt to swoop down from above to ambush insects, like crickets on the ground or moths up a tree,often have eyesight about as good as a rat's. Some species have been shown to be able to detect ultraviolet light and most cave-dwelling species have developed the ability to utilize very dim light. They also have high-quality senses of smell and hearing. Bats hunt at night, reducing competition with birds, minimizing contact with certain predators, and travel large distances (up to 800 km) in their search for food.[3]
Megabat species often have excellent eyesight as good as, if not better than, human vision. This eyesight is, unlike its microbat relations, adapted to both night and daylight vision and enables the bat to have some colour vision whereas the microbat sees in blurred shades of grey.
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Nick Bostrom has similar thoughts (2003): http://www.simulation-argument...
Never happened. True story.