Most computer programs are not very platform specific, and so hardware is whatever approximation to a Turing machine you have handy. But if code is embedded in a platform- to the point that it will not run on any other platform- how meaningful is it to discuss the difference between software and hardware?
My mental experience is of being a body, and so it's not clear to me what it would be to exist purely mentally.
But if code is embedded in a platform- to the point that it will not run on any other platform-
That's strikes me as a really big if. I'm not sure if this is even theoretically possible.
Here is a 2-hour slide presentation I made for college students and teens:
You Are A Brain
It's an introduction to realist thinking, a tour of all the good stuff people don't realize until they include a node for their brain's map in their brain's map. All the concepts come from Eliezer's posts on Overcoming Bias.
I presented this to my old youth group while staffing one of their events. In addition to the slide show, I had a browser with various optical illusions open in tabs, and I brought in a bunch of lemons and miracle fruit tablets. They had a good time and stayed engaged.
I hope the slides will be of use to others trying to promote the public understanding of rationality.
Note: When you view the presentation, make sure you can see the speaker notes. They capture the gist of what I was saying while I was showing each slide.
Added 6 years later: I finally made a video of myself presenting this, except this time it was an adult audience. See this discussion post.