Questions tagged [brain-in-a-vat]
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Was the Brain-in-a-Vat thought experiment explored philosophically before Putnam?
On SciFi.SE there's a question about the origins of "captive brains" in literature. Upon seeing the question I presumed it originated as a philosophical thought experiment (and then made it's way to popular culture) but it seems the opposite may be…
dimo414
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How does the 'Brain in a Vat Argument' differ from the 'Simulation Argument'?
The brain in a bad vat argument states that we may be a brain plugged up to a supercomputer that simulates the external world by sending signals to the brain, just like the brain normally receives signals. The simulation argument states all of…
Oisin Spain
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What is the most probable AI?
then I have a difficult question to ask.
Let's imagine that in the distant future of our universe, through the arrangement of atoms that move in empty space, various objects are formed, any object can be formed, the important thing is that it does…
Zeruel017
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When does a brain transplant make something human?
When does a brain transplant make something human?
Is a human brain in a vat human?
What about a human brain in a sheep?
Or a sheep brain in a human?
I assume that we couldnt transplant a human brain into a maple tree, because the latter lacks a…
user25714
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Is reality a matter of perspective?
Imagine a world like the movie The Matrix where everything people experience is controlled by a massive computer. Let us assume that in this virtual world, there are ogres but no gorillas. Consider the following conversation between a woman named …
David Gudeman
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What are "Concepts" according to Hilary Putnam?
I am reading Putnam's "Brains in a Vat" (1981) and I seem to be having a hard time getting through his terminologies.
Is he saying that possessing a concept is not the same as possessing an image? He says for instance, “For the image, if not…
mmmonowar
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Is this a good argument against Simulation and Brain in a Vat hypotheses?
I was wondering about these skeptical hypotheses regarding the reality we experience. More specifically I wanted to address the Simulation and Brain in a Vat arguments because to me they seem kind of similar (correct me if I am wrong). In both cases…
user34482
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A terrifying variant of Boltzmann's brain
I am new to this forum even though I have read a lot on the subject of boltzmann's brains and have come to a terrifying conclusion, the classic argument which for example Sean Carroll used, "The cognitive instability"…
Zeruel017
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Does the brain in a vat problem shift the burden of proof?
When I've encountered arguments about the brain in a vat problem, they went something like
We could be brains in a vat, with a simulated reality,
how could we know we are not?
But isn't this ignoring the fact that to make an argument, one has to…
Sam
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Chalmers'argument that the brain in the VAT does not lead to skepticism
Chalmers gave an argument that the brain in the VAT does not lead to skepticism (even if I am the brain in the VAT, I can also say "I have one hand is true") in his "The Matrix as Metaphysics"(for the “philosophy section” of the official Matrix…
AnduinWilde
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Isn't a brain not just another vat?
The brain in the vat scenario seems unfinished to me: Let say we come to the conclusion that we are, or bettter I am a brain in a vat and all you are simulated by an external evil(?) demon. Ok, this would show two things:
Evil demons exist next to…
draks ...
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How do we know we could be brains in vats?
So-called skeptics usually claim that we don't know some normal facts because they know some abnormal fact about some possibility that undermines knowledge. How do these people know their modal claims are true? For example, we wouldn't know that "it…
Kristian Berry
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