Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Digital physics vs Quantum Physics brief comment

The very same philosophical notions that cause some to question the physical world, its existence, philosophies of a mental universe, perhaps even solipsism, can be used to defend digital physics.

Ideas such as Descartes demon, which could be a radically advanced AI, perhaps even naturally occurring algorithm in some natural computer.
The evil demon, also known as malicious demon[1] and evil genius,[2] is a concept in Cartesian philosophy. In the first of his 1641 Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes imagines that an evil demon, of "utmost power and cunning has employed all his energies in order to deceive me." This evil demon is imagined to present a complete illusion of an external world, so that Descartes can say, "I shall think that the sky, the air, the earth, colours, shapes, sounds and all external things are merely the delusions of dreams which he has devised to ensnare my judgement. I shall consider myself as not having hands or eyes, or flesh, or blood or senses, but as falsely believing that I have all these things." -wiki

Hypothetically a brain connected to a computer would experience sensations via stimuli with patterns generated from digital information.   Any sensory sensation, seeing or interacting with any machine, any instrumental results could be generated, perhaps not with the intent to deceive, though deception is conceivable.   An AI that wanted to fool a simulated world, or make their life feel more meaningful or free, to avoid despair, might interfere with experiments, perhaps to give hope to ideas such as free will which conflicts with determinism.

Yet we see that it is conceivable a computer connected to the brain could record brain activity patterns digitally, replay them, or transmit them to other brains and generate the same conscious sensation, the same qualia.   It appears, unless hypothesis of transmutation or some special transform, potentially nonphysical change by the brain, digital information can contain qualia or conscious sensation.   Given that it can not only generate it, but can also transmit sensation hypothetically.

Realistically there is nothing to suggest a computer connected to the brain, an advanced enough brain computer interface, won't be able to digitally record and digitally transmit brain states, as well as regenerate them through replay.

But if consciousness, qualia, the most intimate and wondrous of information can exist digitally, than might not the universe itself?  If digital information alone can contain, transmit, and produce all sensation, all conscious states, might it not be fundamental?   Might digital physics not be the underlying truth?

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