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> If we set that knowledge aside, we unmoor ourselves from reality The problem is that this knowledge is an a priori assumption. If we're exercising skepticis
by johnnyjeans 2y ago
> If we set that knowledge aside, we unmoor ourselves from reality
The problem is that this knowledge is an a priori assumption.
If we're exercising skepticism, it's important to be equally skeptical of the baseless idea that our notion of mind does not arise from a markov chain under certain conditions. You will be shocked to know that your entire physical body can be modelled as a markov chain, as all physical things can.
If we treat our a prioris so preciously that we ignore flagrant, observable evidence just to preserve them -- by empirical means we've already unmoored ourselves from reality and exist wholly in the autocomplete hallucinations of our preconceptions. Hume rolls over in his grave.
- krainboltgreene 2y ago> You will be shocked to know that your entire physical body can be modelled as a markov chain, as all physical things can. My favorite part of hackernews is when a bunch of tech people start pretending to know how very complex systems work despite never having studied them.
- johnnyjeans 2y agoI'm assuming you're in disagreement with me. In which case I'm going to point you towards the literal formulation of quantum mechanics being the description of a state space[1]. The universe as a quantum markov chain is unambiguously the mathematical orthodoxy of contemporary physics, and is the defacto means by which serious simulations are constructed[2]. It's such a basic part of the field, I'm doubtful if you're talking about me in the first place? Nobody who has ever interacted with the intersection of quantum physics and computation would even blink. [1] - Refer to Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics by Von Neumann for more information. [2] - Refer to Quantum Chromodynamics on the Lattice for a description of a QCD lattice simulation being implemented as a markov chain.
- krainboltgreene 2y agoThere it is again.