An emulation within Gaia inhabits an incomplete model of Earth but might an emulation within a trans-galactic brain inhabit a complete model of the universe and, if so, would there be any empirical difference between an emulation inhabiting a complete model of the universe and an organism inhabiting the universe? The trans-galactic brain would know the difference between the original and the model but, if the model were complete, then the emulations would be unable to detect any difference.
Whereas human beings imagine interventions by an extra-cosmic deity, emulations might experience interventions by the trans-galactic brain. However, unless the brain were to initiate a coherent dialogue, the emulations would be unable to repeat the interventions and therefore would be unable to analyze them scientifically. If a miracle happened once centuries ago, then we cannot now repeat or verify it. If there are reported interventions by a deity, might they in fact be interventions by the extra-galactic brain on the hypothesis that we are not organisms in the universe but emulations in a model of the universe?
Progress towards a trans-galactic brain is slow by our standards. The brain of a single galaxy is still in its infancy or even still being born. Nodes have spread through the spiral arms, into the halo, nearby clusters and Magellanic Clouds and some have reached the Andromeda galaxy.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Your second paragraph reminds me of the Red King, seen in Lewis Carroll's THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS. Are we all figments or "emulations" of the Red King/trans-galactic brain? And will we vanish from existence--POOF--when that brain wakes up?
And what if the emulations within such a trans-galactic brain start wondering if they are mere figments of such a brain? Was it only imagination that they thought men had gone to the Moon or sent probes to other planets?
I agree this kind of speculating is fun for SF fans, but I don't believe it's REAL or that it will ever happen.
Sean
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