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How likely is it that we live in a simulation? Are virtual worlds real?

In this first episode of the 2nd Series we delve into the fascinating topic of virtual reality simulations and the extraordinary possibility that our universe is itself a simulation. For thousands of years some mystical traditions have maintained that the physical world and our separated ‘selves’ are an illusion, and now, only with the development of our own computer simulations and virtual worlds have scientists and philosophers begun to assess the statistical probabilities that our shared reality could in fact be some kind of representation rather than a physical place.
As we become more open to these possibilities, other difficult questions start to come into focus. How can we create a common language to talk about matter and energy, that bridges the simulated and simulating worlds. Who could have created such a simulation? Could it be an artificial intelligence rather than a biological or conscious being? Do we have ethical obligations to the virtual beings we interact with in our virtual worlds and to what extent are those beings and worlds ‘real’? The list is long and mind bending.

Fortunately, to untangle our thoughts on this, we have one of the best known philosophers of all things mind bending in the world, Dr. David Chalmers; who has just released a book ‘Reality+: virtual worlds and the problems of philosophy’ about this very topic. Dr. Chalmers is an Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist specialising in the areas of philosophy of mind and philosophy of language. He is a Professor of Philosophy and Neuroscience at New York University, as well as co-director of NYU’s Center for Mind, Brain and Consciousness. He’s the founder of the ‘Towards a Science of Consciousness Conference’ at which he coined the term in 1994 The Hard Problem of Consciousness, kicking off a renaissance in consciousness studies, which has been increasing in popularity and research output ever since.

Donate here: https://www.chasingconsciousness.net/episodes.

What we discuss in this episode:
00:00 Short Intro.
06:00 Synesthesia.
08:27 The science of knowing the nature of reality.
11:02 The Simulation Hypothesis explained.
15:25 The statistical probability evaluation.
18:00 Knowing for sure is beyond the reaches of science.
19:00 You’d only have to render the part you’re interacting with.
20:00 Clues from physics.
22:00 John Wheeler — ‘It from bit’
23:32 Eugene Wigner: measurement as a conscious observation.
27:00 Information theory as a useful but risky hold-all language tool.
34:30 Virtual realities are real and virtual interactions are meaningful.
37:00 Ethical approaches to Non-player Characters (NPC’s) and their rights.
38:45 Will advanced AI be conscious?
42:45 Is god a hacker in the universe up? Simulation Theology.
44:30 Simulation theory meets the argument for the existence of God from design.
51:00 The Hard problem of consciousness applies to AI too.
55:00 Testing AI’s consciousness with the Turing test.
59:30 Ethical value applied to immoral actions in virtual worlds.

References:

Continue reading “THE SIMULATION HYPOTHESIS & VIRTUAL WORLDS — David Chalmers PHD #16” | >

Asymmetric interactions between molecules may serve as a stabilizing factor for biological systems. A new model by researchers in the Department of Living Matter Physics at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) reveals the regulatory role of non-reciprocity.

The scientists aim to understand the physical principles based on which particles and molecules are able to form living beings, and eventually, organisms. The work is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Most organizations, including companies, societies, or nations, function best when each member carries out their assigned role. Moreover, this efficiency often relies on spatial organization, which arose due to rules or emerged naturally via learning and . At the , cells operate in a similar way, with different components handling .

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In this enlightening episode, we delve into groundbreaking research that challenges our understanding of the brain’s building blocks. Recent studies reveal that a single neuron possesses computational capabilities rivaling those of entire artificial neural networks, suggesting that each neuron may function as a complex processor in its own right.

This UPSC Podcast explores how learning in the brain is more complex than previously thought, revealing that synapses, the connections between neurons, don’t all follow the same rules. A recent study observed these tiny junctions in mice, discovering that their behavior depends on their location on a neuron’s branches called dendrites. Some synapses prioritize local connections, while others form longer circuits, indicating that different parts of a single neuron perform distinct computations, potentially explaining how the brain forms memories, including during processes like offline learning. This research offers a new perspective on how the brain encodes information and could potentially inspire more sophisticated AI methods.

Key Discussion Points:

Neuronal Complexity: Exploring how individual neurons can perform intricate computations, akin to multi-layered neural networks.
Quanta Magazine.

Dendritic Processing: Understanding the role of dendrites in enhancing a neuron’s computational power.
Quanta Magazine.

Implications for AI: Discussing how these findings could revolutionize artificial intelligence by inspiring more efficient neural network architectures.

Continue reading “🧠 One Neuron, Many Minds: Unveiling the Brain’s Hidden Complexity” | >

Lafourcade et al. reveal that apical oblique dendrites of retrosplenial cortical L5 neurons exhibit unexpectedly linear integration compared with basal and tuft branches via increased synaptic AMPA: NMDA. Long-range inputs are targeted to these distinct dendritic domains, supporting the idea that single neurons perform a diverse range of subcellular processing.

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Researchers at Purdue University have developed an “ultra-white” paint that reflects 98 per cent of sunlight and deflects infrared heat, allowing buildings to cool below the surrounding air temperature.

The paint, which the university describes as the “whitest paint on record”, owes its cooling power to barium sulphate – a pigment derived from the mineral barite – and reflects up to 98.1% of sunlight.

Unlike the titanium dioxide used in traditional white paints, which absorbs UV light, the barium sulphate is also capable of deflecting infrared heat away from the surface to which it is applied.

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Somewhere in the body of a patient, a small clump of cells, growing undetected, has begun to form a tumor. It has yet to cause pain or visible symptoms of illness. Several months from now, or perhaps years, those first signs will prompt a doctor’s inquiry, a referral to a specialist, and an eventual diagnosis. Treatment will depend on how long the cancer has gone unnoticed and how far it has spread.

There were early signs, though not ones the patient or doctor could have noticed. Small fragments of RNA, cast off from dying cells or spit out of the tumor’s twisted transcriptions, floating about in the bloodstream—early signals of a tissue in distress.

A new method developed by Stanford researchers aims to bring the moment of detection much closer to the beginning. They have developed a blood-based method called RARE-seq that detects tumor-derived cell-free RNA with around 50 times the sensitivity of standard sequencing techniques.

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