> (And as for the experiment - the user would probably not need
> to possess the total-continuous sort of knowledge; s/he could safely
> ignore maybe even the majority of processes going on in the virtual
> world, provided he had a way of selecting and zooming in on events which
> do require attention. That sort of filter could be programmed in as
well,
> possibly, based on what is and what is not critical in OUR world - as
> flight simulators may ignore the color of grass on the airfield, or the
> texture of the pilot's seat upholstery?)
>
I have no doubt that such a programmed simulation of our universe could
exist. With what I have seen of the advances in all areas of technology,
I am confident that this possibility is not at all unrealistic. What is
slightly disturbing, however is this:
Assuming that a simulation of our universe were programmed, the
conscience beings (our digitized counterparts) would have no way of
knowing that they were only virtual. No matter how much they discovered
about physical laws (algorithms) they would not be able to know about
the true condition. The question is, who is to say that we are not in a
simulation?
-- John Aten jwa@inx.net