What do you make of Nick Bostrom's Simulated Reality arguement?

Question

And does it support religious views?

The philosopher Nick Bostrom investigated the possibility that we may be living in a simulation. A simplified version of his argument is:

i) It is possible that a civilization could create a computer simulation which contains individuals with artificial intelligence.

ii) Such a civilization would likely run many – say billions – of these simulations (just for fun; for research, etc.)

iii) A simulated individual inside the simulation wouldn’t know that it’s inside a simulation – it’s just going about its daily business in what it considers the “real world”.

Then the ultimate question is – if one accepts that points 1-2-3 are at least possible, which of the following is more likely?

a) We are the one civilization out there in the universe that will eventually develop the ability to run AI simulations? Or,
b) We are one of the billions of simulations that has run? (Remember point iii.)

Link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulated_reality

Answer 1

If it were possible to create AI that was self-conscious, then I think that would be a major problem for many religions, because such an intelligence would likely not be thought of as having a soul, but would be self aware.

Personally I don't find his argument very persuasive. There are too many assumptions involved. The self-conscious AI aside, it makes assumptions about technological development, motives of the simulation runners, and what in fact it would be like inside these simulations. Even if it turns out to be a perfectly logical argument, time and again we have discovered that what we think of as perfectly logical turns out to be false.

At the end of the day, though, I am a pragmatist. What possible difference does this make? There isn't any, since we could never know if we were in fact simulations, and even if we were to know this fact, we could do nothing about it. We would still go about our daily business because it would still be real to us. If you are starving you are going to suffer whether or not it is "really" only a computer simulation. The only value to his argument is that it may entertain some people. It may make for some good conversations at parties, buy I think that arguments like this give philosophy a bad name. Like wondering if you are "really" a brain in a vat, it is meaningless to talk about realities that you cannot experience. :)

Answer 2

Where do you think that got some of the ideas for "the matrix"?

They is no way of knowing... but perhaps a "prophet", "seer", or "mystic" has found a way to hack the simulation. Perhaps "god" is the one who wrote the simulation, or the one who runs it.

Who knows?

I'll have another beer.

Answer 3

A computer is a machine which is a means to achieve something else. Mankind is the reality. His premises are in error.

Answer 4

You've been watching "the Matrix" again, haven't you.
Turn it off,... it's just a movie.

Answer 5

I say, wherever he got his weed from, I want some!

Answer 6

i think you BOTH need to get out more...maybe find a girlfriend or something