Posthuman Blues

Is Reality a Simulation Game?

"While not part of this extreme, a recent argument by Dr. Nick Bostrom (Department of Philosophy, Yale University) has made modest waves in the media. According to reports, Bostrom believes that we are in fact probably living in a computer simulation.

"His reasoning is fairly simple. There will be a time when we are able to simulate sentient life on a large scale. If that is so, then there will be an enormous number of lives which will be simulated in the future. Eventually, it is not too far-fetched to think that this number will be far greater than the number of people who have ever lived." (Via Chapel Perilous.)

The author of this article dismisses Bostrom's simulation argument for reasons that seem more sentimental than objective. If artificial intelligence is possible, then its mature form may very well be quite alien.