>”It is. An argument is only as strong as its weakest link.”
If the conclusion hinges upon that link, sure.
>”Reversing entropy and simulation absolutely are.”
You do not need to reverse entropy to remake a person. Otherwise we are reversing entropy every time we manufacture copies of something which has broken. Even the “whole universe scan” method does not actually wind back the clock, except in sim.
>”Well you suggest in the article that our simulators would resurrect us, am I missing something?”
Yes. If every intelligent species takes the attitude that “it’s not my problem, someone else will take care of it” then nobody does. We cannot know for sure how many intelligent, technologically capable species exist. In the absence of confirmation, the only way we can be sure that a technological means of resurrection will be developed is if we do it. If we’re not alone, nothing is lost except that we have reinvented the wheel.
>”The idea that we could recover past states of the universe in sufficient detail is by far the most suspicious claim, and it is central to the idea of bringing back past people, that’s why I was addressing that specifically.”
I agree actually and this is why I furnished two methods, although there’s a third method which can also remake people based on scans of the still living, it’s just considerably more limited than the other two. My central point being that physics permits such a technology, there exists demand for it, so it is reasonable to expect it will exist in some form. That is by itself remarkable enough, for people outside of LessWrong anyway.
>”It is. An argument is only as strong as its weakest link.”
If the conclusion hinges upon that link, sure.
>”Reversing entropy and simulation absolutely are.”
You do not need to reverse entropy to remake a person. Otherwise we are reversing entropy every time we manufacture copies of something which has broken. Even the “whole universe scan” method does not actually wind back the clock, except in sim.
>”Well you suggest in the article that our simulators would resurrect us, am I missing something?”
Yes. If every intelligent species takes the attitude that “it’s not my problem, someone else will take care of it” then nobody does. We cannot know for sure how many intelligent, technologically capable species exist. In the absence of confirmation, the only way we can be sure that a technological means of resurrection will be developed is if we do it. If we’re not alone, nothing is lost except that we have reinvented the wheel.
>”The idea that we could recover past states of the universe in sufficient detail is by far the most suspicious claim, and it is central to the idea of bringing back past people, that’s why I was addressing that specifically.”
I agree actually and this is why I furnished two methods, although there’s a third method which can also remake people based on scans of the still living, it’s just considerably more limited than the other two. My central point being that physics permits such a technology, there exists demand for it, so it is reasonable to expect it will exist in some form. That is by itself remarkable enough, for people outside of LessWrong anyway.