On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 8:10 PM, Stephen P. King <stephe...@charter.net>wrote:
> On 9/20/2012 11:48 AM, Jason Resch wrote: > > > > On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 10:02 AM, Craig Weinberg <whatsons...@gmail.com>wrote: > >> Here's another reductio ad absurdum illustration of comp. >> >> If the version of comp we are discussing here is independent of physics, >> then shouldn't it be possible for us to program universal machines using >> only empty space? Length can be quantified, so why can't we just use >> millimeters or Planck lengths as the basis for our enumeration, addition, >> and multiplication and directly program from our mind to space? >> >> Of course, it would be hard to know where it was because we would be >> constantly flying away from a space that was anchored to an absolute >> position independent of Earth, the solar system, Milky Way, etc, but that >> shouldn't matter anyhow since whatever method we use to directly program in >> empty space with our minds should also give us access to the results of the >> computations. >> > > Right this is already the case. That we can use our minds to access the > results. > > >> >> What do you think? Just as wafers of silicon glass could in theory be >> functionally identical to a living brain, wouldn't it be equally prejudiced >> to say that empty space isn't good enough to host the computations of >> silicon? > > > We don't even need empty space, we can use thought alone to figure out > the future evolution of computers that already exist in Platonia and then > get the result of any computation. The problem is we are slow at doing > this, so we build machines that can tell us what these platonic machines do > with greater speed and accuracy than we ever could. > > It's not doing the computations that is hard, the computations are > already there. The problem is learning their results. > > Jason > > It takes the consumption of resources to "learn the results". This > is what I have been yelling at Bruno about the entire time since I first > read his beautiful papers. Understanding is never free. > > For us (in this universe) to learn the results of a platonic computation may take resources, but if you happen to be that very platonic computation in question, then you don't need to do anything extra to get the result. You are the result. Jason -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
