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That one's pretty easy to disprove though. Just have a computer solve a random NP-complete problem and then verify it by hand.
by TJSomething 3y ago
That one's pretty easy to disprove though. Just have a computer solve a random NP-complete problem and then verify it by hand.
- gala8y 3y agoCan you, please, explain?
- Dylan16807 3y agoWe're assuming in this scenario that your memory is still basically functional, so the math on a sheet of paper won't be replaced suddenly without you noticing. If you can't even remember things in the medium term that's a level beyond "trapped in a dream" that's much more hopeless. So, with that assumption, you make a computer solve a problem that's impossible for a human to work through in a practical amount of time. And then you verify it got the right answer. This proves the math wasn't done by your dreaming brain. (At least it proves it to a pretty good certainty, and you can repeat the test.) Many NP-complete problems are good candidates here for slow solutions and fast verifications.
- tadfisher 3y agoThis assumes the dreamer is a human brain.
- therein 3y agoYeah I kept thinking about simulation stuff too but GP's method is a good one for being trapped in one's own mind situation. Also for situations that have the standard dream level of fidelity, you can try basic reality checks like putting your finger through your hand or more conspicuously spinning along your own axis.
- jonas21 3y agoAt least in my dreams, nonsensical things happen all the time, but within the dream seem completely reasonable.
- Dylan16807 3y agoIt's not so bad to miss a hundred signs if you have a reliable test to try.
- gala8y 3y agoThanks, I will try to understand it, but I need to read some stuff beforehand, I guess.
- psychphysic 3y agoHow would this work?
- stametseater 3y agoRead a page of text, then read it again to see if it changed. This test never seems to fail, at least in the sort of dreams I can remember having after waking up. Usually I can't read at all in dreams, and when I can, the text is different every time I read it.
- JohnFen 3y ago> Usually I can't read at all in dreams I thought this was just me! There have been times when I've "read" in dreams (signs, usually), but I don't actually visualize the words. I just "know" what they say.