From: swisher@cs.utexas.edu (Janet M. Swisher) Subject: Re: PHIL: VR--Are we really the first? Date: Thu, 22 Oct 92 01:53:21 -0500 Path: news From: swisher@cs.utexas.edu (Janet M. Swisher) Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds Subject: Re: PHIL: VR--Are we really the first? Date: 22 Oct 1992 01:53:20 -0500 Organization: CS Dept, University of Texas at Austin Lines: 21 Message-ID: References: <1992Oct18.175509.29341@u.washington.edu> <1992Oct21.084111.29426@u.washington.edu> In article <1992Oct21.084111.29426@u.washington.edu> fsjdj1@acad3.alaska.edu writes: >In article <1992Oct18.175509.29341@u.washington.edu>, >coleman@rocky.CS.UCLA.EDU (Mike Coleman) writes: >> The obvious next question is: Is there any scientific or philosophical reason >> to think that we are not *in* such a simulation *now*?? >I don't think you're the first to come up with this idea That is correct. For starters, see Descartes -- the "Meditations", I think (but it could be "Discourse on the Method"; I don't have them at hand). He notes that his perceptions might be false because he could be being "deceived by an evil demon". To negate this possibility, he proves the existence of God, in a proof that these days is generally considered faulty. I could probably find references to more modern treatments of the problem, if pressed.