In the contemporary world, the greatest divide would not be between the liberals and conservatives. It would be between people who believe in the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, and those who don't. Alternatively, there would be a deep chasm between believers and non-believers of the idea that the world is a simulation run on a huge computer (presumably designed by some superintelligence, natural or artificial).
When someone says that he or she believes in the simulation hypothesis, the most appropriate and fun follow-up question would be:
At what time exactly in your life did you realize that this world, including you, is a simulation? Did you notice a bug in the program, or was there a noticeable hole in the visual field?
Neither has happened to me so far, and I don't believe in the simulation hypothesis.
I thought about this rather humorous idea after a close friend of mind, Kaoru Takeuchi, who got his Ph.D in string cosmology from McGill, said that he believed in both the many worlds interpretation and simulation hypothesis. This is indeed a great divide. Rather unsettling, actually. I needed some psychological defense mechanism, and I came up with the above thoughts.
1 comment:
For those who believe in God(= superintelligence, natural or artificial [probably natural]), no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe in God, no explanation is possible. (A quote from the beautiful old film, "The Song of Bernadette)
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