X-Message-Number: 26123 Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 22:16:09 -0700 From: Mike Perry <> Subject: Re: Information Paradigm References: <> Robert Ettinger writes: >In broader terms, the "information paradigm" is only a >conjecture--entertained >by some very bright people, but in my opinion pretty low on the plausibility >scale. After all, it not only fails to answer the ontological questions, but >does >not even address them. Some interesting writings based on quantum mechanics have a bearing on this issue. As one example, David Deutsch in *The Fabric of Reality* devotes considerable space to arguing that a universal reality generator (as he calls it) is possible, that is to say, physically realizable. This would be essentially a type of quantum computer but capable of simulating a human brain and giving it the experience of any given, physically realizable environment, when suitably programmed. I won't try to get into any deep ontological discussions here, but just note that the discrete nature of happenings at the quantum level lends itself to computational (information-based) interpretations--or so it appears. Mike Perry Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=26123