Life, simulations and AI

1. An amoeba is alive but an accurate simulation of an amoeba wouldn’t be alive.

2. If (1), then an accurate simulation of a human wouldn’t be alive.

3. So, an accurate simulation of a human wouldn’t be alive.

4. Something that isn’t alive wouldn’t think.

5. So, an accurate simulation of a human wouldn’t think.

6. If an accurate simulation of a human wouldn’t think, Strong AI is false.

7. Strong AI is false.

Behind (2) is the idea that the best explanation of (1) is that computer simulations of living things aren’t alive. I think (4) is perhaps the most controversial of the premises.

Are we in a computer simulation?

Do we live in a computer simulation?

Here’s a quick and naive thought. We would expect most computer simulations to be of pretty poor quality and limited in scope. If we are in a simulation, the simulation we are in is of extremely high quality and of great scope. That’s not what we would expect on the simulation hypothesis. So, probably, we don’t live in a computer simulation.

But the following argument is pretty convincing: 1. If materialism is true, then probably a computer simulation of a brain can think (since the best materialist theory of mind is functionalism). 2. If a computer simulation of a brain can think, then most thinkers live inside computer simulations.

So, the argument that we don’t live in a computer simulation gives us evidence against materialism.