On 9/21/2012 1:19 AM, Jason Resch wrote:
On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 8:10 PM, Stephen P. King
<[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
On 9/20/2012 11:48 AM, Jason Resch wrote:
On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 10:02 AM, Craig Weinberg
<[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Here's another reductio ad absurdum illustration of comp.
If the version of comp we are discussing here is independent
of physics, then shouldn't it be possible for us to program
universal machines using only empty space? Length can be
quantified, so why can't we just use millimeters or Planck
lengths as the basis for our enumeration, addition, and
multiplication and directly program from our mind to space?
Of course, it would be hard to know where it was because we
would be constantly flying away from a space that was
anchored to an absolute position independent of Earth, the
solar system, Milky Way, etc, but that shouldn't matter
anyhow since whatever method we use to directly program in
empty space with our minds should also give us access to the
results of the computations.
Right this is already the case. That we can use our minds to
access the results.
What do you think? Just as wafers of silicon glass could in
theory be functionally identical to a living brain, wouldn't
it be equally prejudiced to say that empty space isn't good
enough to host the computations of silicon?
We don't even need empty space, we can use thought alone to
figure out the future evolution of computers that already exist
in Platonia and then get the result of any computation. The
problem is we are slow at doing this, so we build machines that
can tell us what these platonic machines do with greater speed
and accuracy than we ever could.
It's not doing the computations that is hard, the computations
are already there. The problem is learning their results.
Jason
It takes the consumption of resources to "learn the results".
This is what I have been yelling at Bruno about the entire time
since I first read his beautiful papers. Understanding is never free.
For us (in this universe) to learn the results of a platonic
computation may take resources, but if you happen to be that very
platonic computation in question, then you don't need to do anything
extra to get the result. You are the result.
Jason
Jason,
That is not the point! I think we all agree on what you remark
upon! It is how everything gets partitioned up so that we have the kind
of world we observe. We observe a classical world where things don't
work with infinite resources or infinite speed or infinite connectivity.
We are asking for the fact that we observe an illusion to be explained!
--
Onward!
Stephen
http://webpages.charter.net/stephenk1/Outlaw/Outlaw.html
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Everything List" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected].
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
