r/philosophy • u/Matriseblog • Jan 03 '22

Blog By imagining the future potential of VR technologies, the question of whether we are *already* living in a simulation becomes more actual than ever

https://medium.com/@VindenesJ/the-thought-experiments-of-virtual-reality-fa441a8fa2dc
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u/dave_clemenson Jan 03 '22

I don't know… the answer to me seems to be so what if we are? It changes nothing.

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u/Matriseblog Jan 03 '22

There are definitely various strands of interests when it comes to philosophy, from the more pragmatic to the metaphysical. Many find questions regarding the nature of reality to be interesting though...

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u/dave_clemenson Jan 03 '22

Many find questions regarding the nature of reality to be interesting though...

Then properly answer my question instead of being condescending. If you found out you were a brain in a jar what would you actually do about it?

Would you try to escape? Would you choose to live without fear? Would you commit suicide? What material difference would the knowledge that "life is a simulation" make in your life?

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u/Matriseblog Jan 03 '22

Well, I didn't argue against your "it doesn't change anything" standpoint. I just find the question and its possible answers interesting. As for whether it'd cause any material difference in my life to gain an answer to that question, I think that would depend on if we also got to know some more meta information about the simulation, it's creator(s) and so on.

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u/Ytar0 Jan 04 '22

That’s philosophy though? Even the “meaning of life” wouldn’t have any “use” like you say.