My Philosophy On Life - Consciousness can be simuated

This Year we have studied a variety of different topics, each one forcing us to embrace This is just one illusion of many which each demonstrate how
diverse ideas and question what we know. It is evident to me that our world is not unreliable our senses are. If we cannot trust our eyes, then how do - Technological advancement
necessarily how we see it. Everyday we live our lives assuming everything from A to Z is just we know what is real. Many philosophers even goes as far as to say
continues
as we are told and just as we know. This builds up a false sense of security and can leave us we could be in a simulation, especially with current technology such
with little reason to question anything. For this reason I believe It is important to ask these as VR it is impossible to distinguish between what is a simulation - All civilizations don’t destroy
and what is there. If you stayed In a VR set all day everyday you’d
questions and to embrace what we do not know in order to enhance our knowledge and themselves (Nuclear Bombs..)
probably forget what is real and what is not. Take for example a
reasoning. In philosophy this year we have done exactly this, digging deeper into what we
computer screen, if you look at a picture of a Lemon it appears - Someone's running the Simulation
really know. yellow, but when you look closer it is actually just a mix of RGB
Rene Descartes – ‘If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once (Why would they)
colours.
in you life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.’
Reflecting on this years topic I have complied some major questions I found particularly
- Technology must be advanced
enough to have a Super-Powerful
interesting and have given arguments for them to support differing opinions, concluding
Computer
with what I believe.

What is Reality, Are We In A Simulation?

Reality is what is real, however this can differ from person to person.
In the morning you wake up, eat breakfast, brush your teeth and get ready for
the day. This routine is different for everyone, and everyone experiences life
differently. However how do you know any of these experiences, feelings and
emotions are real, how do you know you exist, how do you know anything
exists. The simple answer is you don’t. Everything you think you know is an
informed guess. We all have senses, some people have less than others,
however everyone bases what they know on the knowledge obtained through
their senses. For example I know there are cars outside, because I can hear
them, see them and smell them. But rarely do we question these senses, and if
they were false, then what do we really know. Something as simple as an
optical illusion can trick our eyes, into seeing something that’s not there.
The two orange circles
are actually the same size
The Lemon is yellow to our eyes and looks the same colour as a real
lemon, however it is actually a mix of Red Green and Blue pixels. So
according to this reasoning there is no way for us to know if what we When all is summed up it is not
see is real. We could be a brain in a vat, our entire life simulated. Many impossible that we could be living in a
Physicists argue that our world is too large to simulate, as there are simulation. Many problems would have to
billions of stars and galaxies. However a simulation only needs to be as be overcome and their are still many
detailed as we can experience. We live on earth and have not yet unanswered questions. However
ventured further then our own solar system, so how do we know that considering, humans can easily be fooled,
everything is not simulated on the spot, for example, what’s to stop a and that technology is advancing at a
chair having nothing inside until you zoom in. Our word requires only rapid rate, it is not unrealistic. And
as much detail as humans actually know. Though this is true, a fair without our senses to trust how can we
amount of assumptions need to be made, for Reality to actually be a know what reality really is.
simulation.
Different Types of Realism
My Philosophy On Life
What is reality is a highly debated question and for this reason there are a
few different classifications for certain philosophical viewpoints. These help
to clearly show different beliefs on this complicated subject. The main 3 are
Naïve Realism, Scientific Realism and Pragmatism. Each of these is
completely different and is explained below with arguments for and against.

Definition Example Reason Issue This map and

picture both
Naïve This is the belief in I can feel this pen in my If you can see Are senses
Realism
everything you are told
and think you know,
hand, therefore it is there
and I am holding it.
something and
feel it then
actually
trustworthy,
show London,
due to evidence and
experience.
obviously its
there.
and If not then
what do we
but they both
know. (This is
demonstrated
look
in Optical
Illusions)
completely
different. How
Scientific The view the world is Models show what an Many Theories Reality can be do we know
exactly as described, atom looks like, they are give an accurate viewed in
Realism and how it is shown in too small to see, but we description, and many different which is the
scientific models. still know what they look successfully ways, which is
like. make sense in correct. We best and right
real life can use maps
situations. pictures one?
graphs, which
is best? This is one argument
against scientific
realism, which many
Pragmatism Reality is what is
practical and useful to
This table exists, because I
can write on it which is
We only need
what is
What is useful
to us as a people debate over.
us. useful for me to know. necessary and species is not
useful to survive. always reality.
 My Philosophy On Life
Mary’s Room Can A human know what It’s Like to be a Bat?

Marys room is a thought provoking experiment often having a variety of different opinions which
Ultimately dependant on the definition of knowledge. The experiment goes like this:
A woman named Mary lives in a black and white lab she has studied colour all her life and knows
everything about. But she has never seen colour in person. One day she goes outside and sees
colour for the first time.
The question is does she gain any knowledge from this experience of seeing colour, or not, since
she already knew everything about it?
I believe she wouldn’t gain any knowledge from this experience, simply because she knows
everything about colour, therefore it would make no difference. It may feel like a new experience
because she is perceiving colour in a different way to before. Though this is true some may argue
an experience cannot be learned plainly from textbooks, as it is separate all together. An
experience with something is interacting with it, this is different to knowing about it. There are
many arguments supporting both sides, and overall the answer to this question is still undecided.
How do we know what its like to be a bat and vice versa. Thought experiment's similar to these
spark debates between many people. First of all we have to ask ourselves if animals are actually
conscious, do they make decisions or is it all instinct. Many believe this depends from animal to
animal, for example a domestic dog might act by learning patterns in its owner, e.g when its going
to get food… Next we have to ask if we can even comprehend how a bat hears, using echolocation,
this similar to human radar systems, so it may be possible we could understand this part. However
do animals even think, for a human how could you imagine not having a conscious, and vice versa,
if bats don’t have a conscious they could never ask this. Do bats have memories of there family, do
they have friends, or just breeding partners. So animals know how someone is feeling, humans can
to extent do this, but we do it by working things out not by instinct. Overall it seems very hard to
ever imagine being a bat as they are so different.
I wonder what
I wonder what it’s like to be a
it’s like to be a Human?
bat?

Do bats have a
conscious?

Do they have
memories?

Do they feel
happy or sad?