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Kent Forbes, Does the Simulation Hypothesis Defeat Materialism |323|
by Alex Tsakiris | Jul 27 | Consciousness Science
This academic turned filmmaker believes science’s growing openness to the simulation hypothesis may overturn materialism.
photo by: Kent Forbes
Today on Skeptiko we joined by Kent Forbes, whose movie, The Simulation Hypothesis, explores the idea that reality is in fact a simulation in which we are unaware avatars. It may sound like a strange idea, but it’s gaining some attention among some high-profile, serious physicists. I just have to wonder if they’ve fully considered what this hypothesis means for materialism… fortunately for us, today’s guest has:
Kent Forbes: It doesn’t happen overnight. The fact that someone like Neil deGrasse Tyson could come out and publicly endorse an idea, with the implications that the simulation hypothesis has, I think is noteworthy. Then [you have] other people immediately stepping forward [like] Elon Musk. You can talk about whether or not he has the qualifications to make such an endorsement but the point is that the idea is catching on. People who are recognized thinkers are saying, you know what, the explanatory power of this model is too great. It solves a lot of problems that are unsolvable under the strict materialist paradigm, and I’m going to overcome my emotional bias and I’m going to go with this. We’re going to take a chance. This is what bold scientists do. They look at something with a lot of explanatory power and they say, you know what, somebody has to step over this line. I’m going to do that.
by Alex Tsakiris | Jul 27 | Consciousness Science
This academic turned filmmaker believes science’s growing openness to the simulation hypothesis may overturn materialism.
photo by: Kent Forbes
Today on Skeptiko we joined by Kent Forbes, whose movie, The Simulation Hypothesis, explores the idea that reality is in fact a simulation in which we are unaware avatars. It may sound like a strange idea, but it’s gaining some attention among some high-profile, serious physicists. I just have to wonder if they’ve fully considered what this hypothesis means for materialism… fortunately for us, today’s guest has:
Kent Forbes: It doesn’t happen overnight. The fact that someone like Neil deGrasse Tyson could come out and publicly endorse an idea, with the implications that the simulation hypothesis has, I think is noteworthy. Then [you have] other people immediately stepping forward [like] Elon Musk. You can talk about whether or not he has the qualifications to make such an endorsement but the point is that the idea is catching on. People who are recognized thinkers are saying, you know what, the explanatory power of this model is too great. It solves a lot of problems that are unsolvable under the strict materialist paradigm, and I’m going to overcome my emotional bias and I’m going to go with this. We’re going to take a chance. This is what bold scientists do. They look at something with a lot of explanatory power and they say, you know what, somebody has to step over this line. I’m going to do that.