The termination risks of simulation science
Historically, the hypothesis that our world is a computer simulation has struck many as just another improbable-but-possible “skeptical hypothesis” about the nature of reality. Recently, however, the simulation hypothesis has received significant attention from philosophers, physicists, and the p...
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sg-ntu-dr.10356-1456692023-03-11T20:06:11Z The termination risks of simulation science Greene, Preston School of Humanities Humanities::Philosophy Hypothesis Simulation Historically, the hypothesis that our world is a computer simulation has struck many as just another improbable-but-possible “skeptical hypothesis” about the nature of reality. Recently, however, the simulation hypothesis has received significant attention from philosophers, physicists, and the popular press. This is due to the discovery of an epistemic dependency: If we believe that our civilization will one day run many simulations concerning its ancestry, then we should believe that we are probably in an ancestor simulation right now. This essay examines a troubling but underexplored feature of the ancestor-simulation hypothesis: the termination risk posed by both ancestor-simulation technology and experimental probes into whether our world is an ancestor simulation. This essay evaluates the termination risk by using extrapolations from current computing practices and simulation technology. The conclusions, while provisional, have great implications for debates concerning the fundamental nature of reality and the safety of contemporary physics. Accepted version 2021-01-04T06:00:44Z 2021-01-04T06:00:44Z 2018 Journal Article Greene, P. (2020). The termination risks of simulation science. Erkenntnis, 85(2), 489-509. doi:10.1007/s10670-018-0037-1 0165-0106 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/145669 10.1007/s10670-018-0037-1 2 85 489 509 en Erkenntnis © 2018 Springer Nature B.V. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Erkenntnis. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10670-018-0037-1. application/pdf |
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Historically, the hypothesis that our world is a computer simulation has struck
many as just another improbable-but-possible “skeptical hypothesis” about the
nature of reality. Recently, however, the simulation hypothesis has received significant
attention from philosophers, physicists, and the popular press. This is due to
the discovery of an epistemic dependency: If we believe that our civilization will
one day run many simulations concerning its ancestry, then we should believe that
we are probably in an ancestor simulation right now. This essay examines a troubling
but underexplored feature of the ancestor-simulation hypothesis: the termination
risk posed by both ancestor-simulation technology and experimental probes
into whether our world is an ancestor simulation. This essay evaluates the termination
risk by using extrapolations from current computing practices and simulation
technology. The conclusions, while provisional, have great implications for
debates concerning the fundamental nature of reality and the safety of contemporary
physics. |
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School of Humanities |
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School of Humanities Greene, Preston |
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Article |
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Greene, Preston |
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Greene, Preston |
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The termination risks of simulation science |
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The termination risks of simulation science |
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The termination risks of simulation science |
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The termination risks of simulation science |
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The termination risks of simulation science |
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termination risks of simulation science |
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2021 |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10356/145669 |
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