5 ms·
As a thought experiment, if Boltzmann’s brains are the most common, maybe we are one? Each of us only has the current moment. Our memories of the past and even
by bemmu 8y ago
As a thought experiment, if Boltzmann’s brains are the most common, maybe we are one?
Each of us only has the current moment. Our memories of the past and even "current" observations of our environment (actually many milliseconds old) are just structures in our brain. You don't really know for sure if you've existed for 30 years, or for 1 second.
All of that could be just part of the "functioning brain that has by sheer fluke emerged from a disordered universe for a brief period of time".
- simonh 8y agoBut surely the vast majority of such Boltzmann brains, by a staggering ratio, would be incomplete, partially aware, barely and only transitorily viable brings with incomplete and inconsistent memories and experiences. The chances of such a being having a completely consistent memory, sensorium and experience of life must be extremely small.
- bemmu 8y agoIf I only live for this single moment, I don't think I'd spot such an inconsistency. I'm now so focused on your comment, that I doubt I'd notice if I didn't actually have half of my body, any memories from my childhood, or if behind me was just empty space. It'd be a short existence with a pretty violent end.
- simonh 8y agoBut surely if a subset of brains experience reading Hacker News, what proportion of those will be reading a page with text that is intelligible, or about subjects that make sense, or with posts that are coherent? Or with brains capable of parsing a text? Surely only one in many trillions or more? Maybe that explains Reddit.