The human body inputs data from several senses (sight, sound, smell, taste and touch) through several organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin) which are converted to electrical signals and then sent to the brain via nerves for processing into information.
Assuming science progresses sufficiently in the future such that artificial signals could be generated and input directly into the brain to make it believe it was receiving genuine (sight, sound, small, taste and touch) signals, thereby creating a realistic virtual world for the human, who could be a terminally ill elderly person but believe they were a youthful happy healthy person under such virtual simulation.
2006-07-08 11:31:49 · 6 answers · asked by Brenda's World 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
Epistemologically, there is no test to determine whether or not it is a virtual world. However, Hillary Putnam has some interesting thought experiments about being a brain in a vat and experiencing a virtual reality here: http://www.uwichill.edu.bb/bnccde/ph29a/putnam.html . His thought is that if you really were a brain in a vat you wouldnt be having the thought that you were a brain in a vat. I think this can be applied to your question.
2006-07-08 13:09:14 · answer #1 · answered by daseinpbc 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should really read some of the works of Rene Descartes, he struggled with this philosophical problem centuries ago, and came to some interesting conclusions. Famously, he reasoned that even if he were totally controlled and tricked by some outside force (which he referred to as a demon), that he could begin to think and reason clearly from a firm standpoint by starting with the axiom, "Cogno ergo sum". In other words, "I think, therefore I am."
2006-07-08 11:44:12 · answer #2 · answered by Argon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Common sense tells most people that they are in the real world.
If you don't believe yourself and need a test then a simple pinch would do it.
If you are that far from reality that you can't recognize it you should go to a shrink. He might be able to bring you back.
2006-07-08 11:57:55 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, You are link into The Matrix.
2006-07-08 11:51:58 · answer #4 · answered by T 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pinch yourself and you'll wake up from the virutality and land in the reality
2006-07-08 11:36:38 · answer #5 · answered by Erica 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, first they would pull their head out of their ***......
2006-07-08 11:36:16 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋