Simulated realityConcept of a false version of reality A researcher using a virtual reality headset in 2017 A simulated reality is an approximation of reality created in a simulation, usually in a set of circumstances in which something is engineered to appear real when it is not.
Nick BostromNick Bostrom ( ; Swedish: Niklas Boström; born 10 March 1973) is a philosopher known for his work on existential risk, the anthropic principle, human enhancement ethics, whole brain emulation, superintelligence risks, and the reversal test. He was the founding director of the later defunct Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford and has become Principal Researcher at the Macrostrategy Research Initiative.
Computer simulationComputer simulation is the running of a mathematical model on a computer, the model being designed to represent the behaviour of, or the outcome of, a real-world or physical system. The reliability of some mathematical models can be determined by comparing their results to the real-world outcomes they aim to predict.
SimulationImitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over timeA simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model.
Evil demonThe evil demon, also known as Deus deceptor, malicious demon, and evil genius, is an epistemological concept that features prominently in Cartesian philosophy. In his , Descartes imagines that a malevolent God or an evil demon, of "utmost power and cunning has employed all his energies in order to deceive me".TrilemmaDifficult choice from three options A trilemma is a difficult choice from three options, each of which is (or appears) unacceptable or unfavourable. There are two logically equivalent ways in which to express a trilemma: it can be expressed as a choice among three unfavourable options, one of which must be chosen, or as a choice among three favourable options, only two of which are possible at the same time.CivilizationA civilization (American English and Oxford spelling) or civilisation (common British English) is any complex society characterized by the development of the state, urbanization, and standardized symbolic systems of communication, namely writing systems.Civilizations are organized around densely populated settlements, divided into more or less rigid hierarchicalsocial classes of division of labour, often with a ruling elite and subordinate urban and rural populations, which engage in intensive agriculture, mining, small-scale manufacture and trade.
PhilosophyStudy of general and fundamental questionsThe statue The Thinker by Auguste Rodin is a symbol of philosophical thought.
Zhuang ZhouZhuang ZhouTraditional ChineseSimplified ChineseHanyu PinyinZhuāng ZhōuZhuang Zhou (US: , UK: ), honorifically often known as Zhuangzi (US: ), was an influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BCE during the Warring States period, a period of great development in Chinese philosophy, the Hundred Schools of Thought.
Zhuangzi (book)The Zhuangzi (historically romanized Chuang Tzŭ) is an ancient Chinese text that is one of the two foundational texts of Taoism, alongside the Tao Te Ching. It was written during the late Warring States period (476–221 BC) and is named for its traditional author, Zhuang Zhou, who is customarily known as "Zhuangzi" ("Master Zhuang"). The Zhuangzi consists of stories and maxims that exemplify the nature of the ideal Taoist sage.
René DescartesRené Descartes ( , also ; French:; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist whose work was foundational to mathematics and modern philosophy. He connected the previously separate fields of geometry and algebra into analytic geometry and introduced a systematic method of inquiry that became influential in early modern philosophy.
ConsciousnessAwareness of internal and external existence17th-century representation of consciousness by Robert Fludd, an English Paracelsian physicianConsciousness is being aware of something internal to one's self, or of states or objects in one's external environment. It has been the topic of extensive explanations, analyses, and debate among philosophers, scientists, and theologians for millennia.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.