Difference between revisions of "Simulation argument"
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The '''Simulation argument''' is an argument for the [[simulation hypothesis]], the concept was popularized in 2003 by Nick Bostrom's paper "Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?" where he argues that one of following propositions is true: | The '''Simulation argument''' is an argument for the [[simulation hypothesis]], the concept was popularized in 2003 by Nick Bostrom's paper "Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?" where he argues that one of following propositions is true: | ||
| − | + | # the human species is very likely to go extinct before reaching a “posthuman” stage | |
| − | + | # any posthuman civilization is extremely unlikely to run a significant number of simulations of their evolutionary history (or variations thereof) | |
| − | + | # we are almost certainly living in a computer simulation. | |
It follows that the belief that there is a significant chance that we will one day become posthumans who run ancestor simulations is false, unless we are currently living in a simulation. | It follows that the belief that there is a significant chance that we will one day become posthumans who run ancestor simulations is false, unless we are currently living in a simulation. | ||
| + | ==See also== | ||
| − | + | *[[Simulation hypothesis]] | |
| − | + | *[[Nonperson predicate]] | |
| − | * | ||
| − | |||
| − | * | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| Line 20: | Line 18: | ||
*[http://www.simulation-argument.com/ Nick Bostrom's Simulation Argument Resource page] | *[http://www.simulation-argument.com/ Nick Bostrom's Simulation Argument Resource page] | ||
| − | == | + | ==References== |
| + | |||
| + | * Bostrom, Nick (2001,2003) [http://www.simulation-argument.com/simulation.pdf Are You Living in a Computer Simulation] Philosophical Quarterly (2003) Vol. 53, No. 211, pp. 243‐255. | ||
| − | *[ | + | * Bostrom, Nick (2011) [http://www.simulation-argument.com/patch.pdf A Patch for the Simulation Argument] Analysis, Vol. 71, No. 1 (2011): 54-61 |
| − | |||
Revision as of 07:40, 30 June 2012
The Simulation argument is an argument for the simulation hypothesis, the concept was popularized in 2003 by Nick Bostrom's paper "Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?" where he argues that one of following propositions is true:
- the human species is very likely to go extinct before reaching a “posthuman” stage
- any posthuman civilization is extremely unlikely to run a significant number of simulations of their evolutionary history (or variations thereof)
- we are almost certainly living in a computer simulation.
It follows that the belief that there is a significant chance that we will one day become posthumans who run ancestor simulations is false, unless we are currently living in a simulation.
See also
External links
References
- Bostrom, Nick (2001,2003) Are You Living in a Computer Simulation Philosophical Quarterly (2003) Vol. 53, No. 211, pp. 243‐255.
- Bostrom, Nick (2011) A Patch for the Simulation Argument Analysis, Vol. 71, No. 1 (2011): 54-61
