Ishaan comments on Does the simulation argument even need simulations? - Less Wrong

7 Post author: lmm 11 October 2013 09:16PM

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Comment author: Ishaan 19 October 2013 03:42:44AM *  -2 points [-]

I think Tegmark's level 1-4 taxonomy is useful. Strip it of physics and put it to philosophy:

Lv 1) What we can observe directly (qualia)

Lv 2) What we can' t observe, but could be (Russel's teapot)

Lv 3) What we can't observe, but we know might have happened if chance played out differently. (many-worlds)

Lv 4) Mathematical universes.

These are distinct concepts. The question is, where and how do you draw a line and call it reality? (I say that we can't include 4, nor can we only include 1. We either include 1, 2 or 1, 2, 3...preferably the former.)

Comment author: torekp 21 October 2013 01:01:31AM 0 points [-]

I took the portion of your comment I quoted to be about level 4 only. Anyway, that is where my comment is aimed, at agreeing that we can't include 4.