PhilGoetz comments on The scourge of perverse-mindedness - Less Wrong

95 Post author: simplicio 21 March 2010 07:08AM

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Comment author: PhilGoetz 21 March 2010 08:18:26PM 0 points [-]

The laws of the physics are the rules, without which we couldn't play the game. They make it hard for any one player to win. If you took any of the laws away, you'd probably be a paperclip-equivalent by now. And even if you weren't, living without physics would be like playing tennis without a net. You'd have no goals or desires as we understand them.

Comment author: SoullessAutomaton 23 March 2010 03:12:18AM 4 points [-]

The laws of the physics are the rules, without which we couldn't play the game. They make it hard for any one player to win.

Except that, as far as thermodynamics goes, the game is rigged and the house always wins. Thermodynamics in a nutshell, paraphrased from C. P. Snow:

  1. You can't win the game.
  2. You can't break even.
  3. You can't stop playing.
Comment author: Jack 21 March 2010 08:31:05PM 3 points [-]

I assume Crono was objecting to these particular laws of physics not the idea of there being any laws of physics at all. I'm actually not sure if there can be existence without laws of physics.