Thumbnailjpg

Science Fiction and Philosophy

Praise for the First Edition

ldquohellip a successful marriage of art with analytic philosophyrdquo Mind amp Machines Fall 2010

ldquoSusan Schneider is the Sarah Connor of philosophy as she ponders the role of science fiction and thought experiments to help understand uploading time travel superintelligence the singularity consciousness hellip and physicalism Hasta La Vista babyrdquo

Richard Marshall 3Quarks Daily

ldquoScience Fiction and Philosophy brings two areas together and into a dialogue hellip science fiction reminds philosophy that all reason and no play makes thought a very dull thing indeedrdquo

Discover Magazine November 2010

ldquoLooking over the pages one can see Schneiderrsquos attention to detail hellip Schneider has obviously made her choices for their accessibility and we should applaud her for thisrdquo

Metapsychology

ldquoIrsquove always said that science fiction is a lousy name for this field itrsquos really philosophical fiction phi-fi not sci-fi This book proves that with its penetrating analysis of the genrersquos treatment of deep questions of reality personhood and ethicsrdquo

Robert J Sawyer Hugo Award-winning author of Hominids

Science Fiction and Philosophy

From Time Travel to Superintelligence

SeCoNd edITIoN

edited bySusan Schneider

This second edition first published 2016editorial material and organization copy 2016 John Wiley amp Sons Inc

edition history Blackwell Publishing Ltd (1e 2009)

Registered OfficeJohn Wiley amp Sons Ltd The Atrium Southern Gate Chichester West Sussex Po19 8SQ UK

Editorial Offices350 Main Street Malden MA 02148‐5020 USA9600 Garsington Road oxford oX4 2dQ UKThe Atrium Southern Gate Chichester West Sussex Po19 8SQ UK

For details of our global editorial offices for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at wwwwileycomwiley‐blackwell

The right of Susan Schneider to be identified as the author of the editorial material in this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording or otherwise except as permitted by the UK Copyright designs and Patents Act 1988 without the prior permission of the publisher

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books

designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names service marks trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book

Limit of Liabilitydisclaimer of Warranty While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom If professional advice or other expert assistance is required the services of a competent professional should be sought

Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data

Names Schneider Susan 1968ndash editorTitle Science fiction and philosophy from time travel to superintelligence edited by Susan Schneiderdescription Second edition | Hoboken Wiley 2016 | Includes bibliographical references and indexIdentifiers LCCN 2015038424 (print) | LCCN 2015039864 (ebook) | ISBN 9781118922613 (pbk) | ISBN 9781118922620 (pdf) | ISBN 9781118922606 (epub)Subjects LCSH Science fictionndashPhilosophy | PhilosophyndashIntroductions | Philosophy in literatureClassification LCC PN34336 S377 2016 (print) | LCC PN34336 (ebook) | ddC 80938762ndashdc23LC record available at httplccnlocgov2015038424

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Cover image copy magictorch Getty Images

Set in 1012pt Sabon by SPi Global Pondicherry India

1 2016

Science Fiction and Philosophy

Praise for the First Edition

ldquohellip a successful marriage of art with analytic philosophyrdquo Mind amp Machines Fall 2010

ldquoSusan Schneider is the Sarah Connor of philosophy as she ponders the role of science fiction and thought experiments to help understand uploading time travel superintelligence the singularity consciousness hellip and physicalism Hasta La Vista babyrdquo

Richard Marshall 3Quarks Daily

ldquoScience Fiction and Philosophy brings two areas together and into a dialogue hellip science fiction reminds philosophy that all reason and no play makes thought a very dull thing indeedrdquo

Discover Magazine November 2010

ldquoLooking over the pages one can see Schneiderrsquos attention to detail hellip Schneider has obviously made her choices for their accessibility and we should applaud her for thisrdquo

Metapsychology

ldquoIrsquove always said that science fiction is a lousy name for this field itrsquos really philosophical fiction phi-fi not sci-fi This book proves that with its penetrating analysis of the genrersquos treatment of deep questions of reality personhood and ethicsrdquo

Robert J Sawyer Hugo Award-winning author of Hominids

Science Fiction and Philosophy

From Time Travel to Superintelligence

SeCoNd edITIoN

edited bySusan Schneider

This second edition first published 2016editorial material and organization copy 2016 John Wiley amp Sons Inc

edition history Blackwell Publishing Ltd (1e 2009)

Registered OfficeJohn Wiley amp Sons Ltd The Atrium Southern Gate Chichester West Sussex Po19 8SQ UK

Editorial Offices350 Main Street Malden MA 02148‐5020 USA9600 Garsington Road oxford oX4 2dQ UKThe Atrium Southern Gate Chichester West Sussex Po19 8SQ UK

For details of our global editorial offices for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at wwwwileycomwiley‐blackwell

The right of Susan Schneider to be identified as the author of the editorial material in this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording or otherwise except as permitted by the UK Copyright designs and Patents Act 1988 without the prior permission of the publisher

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books

designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names service marks trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book

Limit of Liabilitydisclaimer of Warranty While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom If professional advice or other expert assistance is required the services of a competent professional should be sought

Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data

Names Schneider Susan 1968ndash editorTitle Science fiction and philosophy from time travel to superintelligence edited by Susan Schneiderdescription Second edition | Hoboken Wiley 2016 | Includes bibliographical references and indexIdentifiers LCCN 2015038424 (print) | LCCN 2015039864 (ebook) | ISBN 9781118922613 (pbk) | ISBN 9781118922620 (pdf) | ISBN 9781118922606 (epub)Subjects LCSH Science fictionndashPhilosophy | PhilosophyndashIntroductions | Philosophy in literatureClassification LCC PN34336 S377 2016 (print) | LCC PN34336 (ebook) | ddC 80938762ndashdc23LC record available at httplccnlocgov2015038424

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Cover image copy magictorch Getty Images

Set in 1012pt Sabon by SPi Global Pondicherry India

1 2016

Praise for the First Edition

ldquohellip a successful marriage of art with analytic philosophyrdquo Mind amp Machines Fall 2010

ldquoSusan Schneider is the Sarah Connor of philosophy as she ponders the role of science fiction and thought experiments to help understand uploading time travel superintelligence the singularity consciousness hellip and physicalism Hasta La Vista babyrdquo

Richard Marshall 3Quarks Daily

ldquoScience Fiction and Philosophy brings two areas together and into a dialogue hellip science fiction reminds philosophy that all reason and no play makes thought a very dull thing indeedrdquo

Discover Magazine November 2010

ldquoLooking over the pages one can see Schneiderrsquos attention to detail hellip Schneider has obviously made her choices for their accessibility and we should applaud her for thisrdquo

Metapsychology

ldquoIrsquove always said that science fiction is a lousy name for this field itrsquos really philosophical fiction phi-fi not sci-fi This book proves that with its penetrating analysis of the genrersquos treatment of deep questions of reality personhood and ethicsrdquo

Robert J Sawyer Hugo Award-winning author of Hominids

Science Fiction and Philosophy

From Time Travel to Superintelligence

SeCoNd edITIoN

edited bySusan Schneider

This second edition first published 2016editorial material and organization copy 2016 John Wiley amp Sons Inc

edition history Blackwell Publishing Ltd (1e 2009)

Registered OfficeJohn Wiley amp Sons Ltd The Atrium Southern Gate Chichester West Sussex Po19 8SQ UK

Editorial Offices350 Main Street Malden MA 02148‐5020 USA9600 Garsington Road oxford oX4 2dQ UKThe Atrium Southern Gate Chichester West Sussex Po19 8SQ UK

For details of our global editorial offices for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at wwwwileycomwiley‐blackwell

The right of Susan Schneider to be identified as the author of the editorial material in this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording or otherwise except as permitted by the UK Copyright designs and Patents Act 1988 without the prior permission of the publisher

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books

designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names service marks trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book

Limit of Liabilitydisclaimer of Warranty While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom If professional advice or other expert assistance is required the services of a competent professional should be sought

Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data

Names Schneider Susan 1968ndash editorTitle Science fiction and philosophy from time travel to superintelligence edited by Susan Schneiderdescription Second edition | Hoboken Wiley 2016 | Includes bibliographical references and indexIdentifiers LCCN 2015038424 (print) | LCCN 2015039864 (ebook) | ISBN 9781118922613 (pbk) | ISBN 9781118922620 (pdf) | ISBN 9781118922606 (epub)Subjects LCSH Science fictionndashPhilosophy | PhilosophyndashIntroductions | Philosophy in literatureClassification LCC PN34336 S377 2016 (print) | LCC PN34336 (ebook) | ddC 80938762ndashdc23LC record available at httplccnlocgov2015038424

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Cover image copy magictorch Getty Images

Set in 1012pt Sabon by SPi Global Pondicherry India

1 2016

Science Fiction and Philosophy

From Time Travel to Superintelligence

SeCoNd edITIoN

edited bySusan Schneider

This second edition first published 2016editorial material and organization copy 2016 John Wiley amp Sons Inc

edition history Blackwell Publishing Ltd (1e 2009)

Registered OfficeJohn Wiley amp Sons Ltd The Atrium Southern Gate Chichester West Sussex Po19 8SQ UK

Editorial Offices350 Main Street Malden MA 02148‐5020 USA9600 Garsington Road oxford oX4 2dQ UKThe Atrium Southern Gate Chichester West Sussex Po19 8SQ UK

For details of our global editorial offices for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at wwwwileycomwiley‐blackwell

The right of Susan Schneider to be identified as the author of the editorial material in this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording or otherwise except as permitted by the UK Copyright designs and Patents Act 1988 without the prior permission of the publisher

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books

designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names service marks trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book

Limit of Liabilitydisclaimer of Warranty While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom If professional advice or other expert assistance is required the services of a competent professional should be sought

Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data

Names Schneider Susan 1968ndash editorTitle Science fiction and philosophy from time travel to superintelligence edited by Susan Schneiderdescription Second edition | Hoboken Wiley 2016 | Includes bibliographical references and indexIdentifiers LCCN 2015038424 (print) | LCCN 2015039864 (ebook) | ISBN 9781118922613 (pbk) | ISBN 9781118922620 (pdf) | ISBN 9781118922606 (epub)Subjects LCSH Science fictionndashPhilosophy | PhilosophyndashIntroductions | Philosophy in literatureClassification LCC PN34336 S377 2016 (print) | LCC PN34336 (ebook) | ddC 80938762ndashdc23LC record available at httplccnlocgov2015038424

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Cover image copy magictorch Getty Images

Set in 1012pt Sabon by SPi Global Pondicherry India

1 2016

This second edition first published 2016editorial material and organization copy 2016 John Wiley amp Sons Inc

edition history Blackwell Publishing Ltd (1e 2009)

Registered OfficeJohn Wiley amp Sons Ltd The Atrium Southern Gate Chichester West Sussex Po19 8SQ UK

Editorial Offices350 Main Street Malden MA 02148‐5020 USA9600 Garsington Road oxford oX4 2dQ UKThe Atrium Southern Gate Chichester West Sussex Po19 8SQ UK

For details of our global editorial offices for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at wwwwileycomwiley‐blackwell

The right of Susan Schneider to be identified as the author of the editorial material in this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording or otherwise except as permitted by the UK Copyright designs and Patents Act 1988 without the prior permission of the publisher

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books

designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names service marks trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book

Limit of Liabilitydisclaimer of Warranty While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom If professional advice or other expert assistance is required the services of a competent professional should be sought

Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data

Names Schneider Susan 1968ndash editorTitle Science fiction and philosophy from time travel to superintelligence edited by Susan Schneiderdescription Second edition | Hoboken Wiley 2016 | Includes bibliographical references and indexIdentifiers LCCN 2015038424 (print) | LCCN 2015039864 (ebook) | ISBN 9781118922613 (pbk) | ISBN 9781118922620 (pdf) | ISBN 9781118922606 (epub)Subjects LCSH Science fictionndashPhilosophy | PhilosophyndashIntroductions | Philosophy in literatureClassification LCC PN34336 S377 2016 (print) | LCC PN34336 (ebook) | ddC 80938762ndashdc23LC record available at httplccnlocgov2015038424

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Cover image copy magictorch Getty Images

Set in 1012pt Sabon by SPi Global Pondicherry India

1 2016

For Dave ndash stellar shipmate throughout lifersquos journeys and fellow lover of science fiction

IntroductionThought Experiments Science Fiction as a Window into Philosophical Puzzles 1

Susan Schneider

Part I Could I Be in a ldquoMatrixrdquo or Computer Simulation

Related Works The Matrix Avatar Enderrsquos Game The Hunger Games Simulacron‐3 Ubik Tron Permutation City Vanilla Sky Total Recall 17

1 Reinstalling Eden Happiness on a Hard Drive 19Eric Schwitzgebel and R Scott Bakker

2 Are You in a Computer Simulation 22Nick Bostrom

3 Platorsquos Cave Excerpt from The Republic 26Plato

4 Some Cartesian thought Experiments Excerpt from The Meditations on First Philosophy 30Reneacute Descartes

5 The Matrix as Metaphysics 35David J Chalmers

Contents

viii Contents

Part II What Am I Free Will and the Nature of Persons

Related Works Moon Software Star Trek The Next Generation Second Chances Mindscan The Matrix Diaspora Blindsight Permutation City Kiln People The Gods Themselves Jerry Was a Man Nine Lives Minority Report 55

6 Where Am I 57Daniel C Dennett

7 Personal Identity 69Eric Olson

8 Divided Minds and the Nature of Persons 91Derek Parfit

9 Who Am I What Am I 99Ray Kurzweil

10 Free Will and Determinism in the World of Minority Report 104Michael Huemer

11 Excerpt from ldquoThe Book of Life A Thought Experimentrdquo 114Alvin I Goldman

Part III Mind Natural Artificial Hybrid and Superintelligent

Related Works Transcendence 2001 A Space Odyssey Humans Blade Runner AI Frankenstein Accelerando Terminator I Robot Neuromancer Last and First Men His Masterrsquos Voice The Fire Upon the Deep Solaris Stories of your Life 117

12 Robot Dreams 119Isaac Asimov

13 A Brain Speaks 125Andy Clark

14 Cyborgs Unplugged 130Andy Clark

15 Superintelligence and Singularity 146Ray Kurzweil

Contents ix

16 The Singularity A Philosophical Analysis 171David J Chalmers

17 Alien Minds 225Susan Schneider

Part IV Ethical and Political Issues

Related Works Brave New World Enderrsquos Game Johnny Mnemonic Gattaca I Robot Terminator 2001 A Space Odyssey Mindscan Autofac Neuromancer Planet of the Apes Children of Men Nineteen Eighty‐Four Player Piano For a Breath I Tarry Diamond Age 243

18 The Man on the Moon 245George J Annas

19 Mindscan Transcending and Enhancing the Human Brain 260Susan Schneider

20 The Doomsday Argument 277John Leslie

21 The Last Question 279Isaac Asimov

22 Asimovrsquos ldquoThree Laws of Roboticsrdquo and Machine Metaethics 290Susan Leigh Anderson

23 The Control Problem Excerpts from Superintelligence Paths Dangers Strategies 308Nick Bostrom

Part V Space and Time

Related Works Interstellar Twelve Monkeys Slaughterhouse‐Five All You Zombies The Time Machine Back to the Future Flatland A Romance in Many Dimensions Anathem 331

24 A Sound of Thunder 333Ray Bradbury

25 Time 343Theodore Sider

x Contents

26 The Paradoxes of Time Travel 357David Lewis

27 The Quantum Physics of Time Travel 370David Deutsch and Michael Lockwood

28 Miracles and Wonders Science Fiction as Epistemology 384Richard Hanley

Appendix Philosophers Recommend Science Fiction 393Eric Schwitzgebel

Index 410

Science Fiction and Philosophy From Time Travel to Superintelligence Second Edition Edited by Susan Schneider copy 2016 John Wiley amp Sons Inc Published 2016 by John Wiley amp Sons Inc

Let us open the door to age‐old questions about our very nature the nature of the universe and whether there are limits to what we as humans can understand But as old as these issues are let us do something relatively new ndash let us borrow from the world of science fiction thought experiments to fire the philosophical imagination Good science fiction rarely disappoints good philosophy more rarely still

Thought experiments are imaginationrsquos fancies they are windows into the fundamental nature of things A philosophical thought experiment is a hypothetical situation in the ldquolaboratory of the mindrdquo that depicts something that often exceeds the bounds of current technology or even is incompatible with the laws of nature but that is supposed to reveal something philo-sophically enlightening or fundamental about the topic in question Thought experiments can demonstrate a point entertain illustrate a puzzle lay bare a contradiction in thought and move us to provide further clarification Indeed thought experiments have a distinguished intellectual history Both the creation of relativity and the interpretation of quantum mechanics rely heavily upon thought experiments Consider for instance Einsteinrsquos elevator and Schroumldingerrsquos cat And philosophers perhaps even more than physicists make heavy use of thought experiments Reneacute Descartes for instance asked us to imagine that the physical world around us was an elaborate illusion He imagined that the world was merely a dream or worse yet a hoax orchestrated by an evil demon bent on deceiving us He then asked How can we really be certain that we are not deceived in either of these ways

IntroductionThought Experiments Science Fiction as a Window into Philosophical Puzzles

Susan Schneider

2 Susan Schneider

(See Descartesrsquo piece Chapter 4 in this volume) Relatedly Plato asked us to imagine prisoners who had been shackled in a cave for as long as they can remember They face a wall Behind them is a fire Between the prisoners and the fire is a pathway where men walk carrying vessels statues and other objects (see Figure I1)

As the men walk behind the prisoners they and the objects they carry cast shadows on the cave wall The prisoners are thus not able to see the actual men and objects their world is merely a world of shadows Knowing nothing of the real causes of the shadows the prisoners would naturally mistake these shadows for the real nature of things Plato then asked Is this analogous to our own understanding of reality That is is the human condition such that our grasp of reality is only partial catching only the slightest glimpse into the true nature of things like the prisonersrsquo world of shadows1

Intriguingly if you read science fiction writers like Stanislaw Lem Isaac Asimov Arthur C Clark and Robert Sawyer you are already aware that some of the best science fiction tales are in fact long versions of philosophi-cal thought experiments From Clarkrsquos film 2001 A Space Odyssey which explored the twin ideas of intelligent design and artificial intelligence gone awry to the Matrix films which were partly inspired by Platorsquos Cave philosophy and science fiction are converging upon a set of shared themes and questions Indeed there is almost no end to the list of issues in science fiction that are philosophically intriguing It is thus my modest hope that this short book isolates a number of key areas in philosophy where the inter-play between philosophy and science fiction is especially rich For instance

Fire

Pathway

PrisonersShadows

Figure I1 Platorsquos Cave

Introduction Thought Experiments 3

you might have seen the films AI or I Robot (or you may have read the stories they are derived from) And you might have asked

Can robots be conscious Should they have rights Is artificial intelligence that is smarter than us even possible

Or you might have read a time travel story such as H G Wellsrsquos The Time Machine and asked

Is time travel possible Indeed what is the nature of space and time

In this book we delve into these questions as well as many others such as

Could I be deceived about the external world as in The Matrix or Vanilla Sky

What is the nature of persons For instance can my mind survive the death of my body Can I ldquouploadrdquo my memories into a computer and somehow survive (as in the film Transcendence and the novel Mindscan)

Do we ever act freely or is everything predetermined (see eg Minority Report)

Should we enhance our brains and even change our very nature (see eg the cyberpunk genre)

So let us see in more detail where our reflections will lead

Part I Could I Be in a ldquoMatrixrdquo or Computer Simulation

Related Works The Matrix Avatar Enderrsquos Game The Hunger Games Simulacron‐3 Ubik Tron Permutation City Vanilla Sky Total Recall

You sit here in front of this book You are as confident that the book exists as you are of the existence of any physical object The lighting is good indeed you feel the pages pressing on your hands ndash this is no illusion But think of stories like The Matrix or Vanilla Sky How can you really be sure that any of this is real Perhaps you are simply part of a computer‐generated virtual reality created by an omnipotent supercomputer of unthinkable proportions Is there some way to rule out such a scenario

Our first section explores the aforementioned issue of the reality of the external world Does the world around you ndash the people you encounter the book you are now reading indeed even your hand ndash really exist Answers to

IntroductionThought Experiments Science Fiction as a Window into Philosophical Puzzles 1

Susan Schneider

Part I Could I Be in a ldquoMatrixrdquo or Computer Simulation

Related Works The Matrix Avatar Enderrsquos Game The Hunger Games Simulacron‐3 Ubik Tron Permutation City Vanilla Sky Total Recall 17

1 Reinstalling Eden Happiness on a Hard Drive 19Eric Schwitzgebel and R Scott Bakker

2 Are You in a Computer Simulation 22Nick Bostrom

3 Platorsquos Cave Excerpt from The Republic 26Plato

4 Some Cartesian thought Experiments Excerpt from The Meditations on First Philosophy 30Reneacute Descartes

5 The Matrix as Metaphysics 35David J Chalmers

Contents

viii Contents

Part II What Am I Free Will and the Nature of Persons

Related Works Moon Software Star Trek The Next Generation Second Chances Mindscan The Matrix Diaspora Blindsight Permutation City Kiln People The Gods Themselves Jerry Was a Man Nine Lives Minority Report 55

6 Where Am I 57Daniel C Dennett

7 Personal Identity 69Eric Olson

8 Divided Minds and the Nature of Persons 91Derek Parfit

9 Who Am I What Am I 99Ray Kurzweil

10 Free Will and Determinism in the World of Minority Report 104Michael Huemer

11 Excerpt from ldquoThe Book of Life A Thought Experimentrdquo 114Alvin I Goldman

Part III Mind Natural Artificial Hybrid and Superintelligent

Related Works Transcendence 2001 A Space Odyssey Humans Blade Runner AI Frankenstein Accelerando Terminator I Robot Neuromancer Last and First Men His Masterrsquos Voice The Fire Upon the Deep Solaris Stories of your Life 117

12 Robot Dreams 119Isaac Asimov

13 A Brain Speaks 125Andy Clark

14 Cyborgs Unplugged 130Andy Clark

15 Superintelligence and Singularity 146Ray Kurzweil

Contents ix

16 The Singularity A Philosophical Analysis 171David J Chalmers

17 Alien Minds 225Susan Schneider

Part IV Ethical and Political Issues

Related Works Brave New World Enderrsquos Game Johnny Mnemonic Gattaca I Robot Terminator 2001 A Space Odyssey Mindscan Autofac Neuromancer Planet of the Apes Children of Men Nineteen Eighty‐Four Player Piano For a Breath I Tarry Diamond Age 243

18 The Man on the Moon 245George J Annas

19 Mindscan Transcending and Enhancing the Human Brain 260Susan Schneider

20 The Doomsday Argument 277John Leslie

21 The Last Question 279Isaac Asimov

22 Asimovrsquos ldquoThree Laws of Roboticsrdquo and Machine Metaethics 290Susan Leigh Anderson

23 The Control Problem Excerpts from Superintelligence Paths Dangers Strategies 308Nick Bostrom

Part V Space and Time

Related Works Interstellar Twelve Monkeys Slaughterhouse‐Five All You Zombies The Time Machine Back to the Future Flatland A Romance in Many Dimensions Anathem 331

24 A Sound of Thunder 333Ray Bradbury

25 Time 343Theodore Sider

x Contents

26 The Paradoxes of Time Travel 357David Lewis

27 The Quantum Physics of Time Travel 370David Deutsch and Michael Lockwood

28 Miracles and Wonders Science Fiction as Epistemology 384Richard Hanley

Appendix Philosophers Recommend Science Fiction 393Eric Schwitzgebel

Index 410

Science Fiction and Philosophy From Time Travel to Superintelligence Second Edition Edited by Susan Schneider copy 2016 John Wiley amp Sons Inc Published 2016 by John Wiley amp Sons Inc

Let us open the door to age‐old questions about our very nature the nature of the universe and whether there are limits to what we as humans can understand But as old as these issues are let us do something relatively new ndash let us borrow from the world of science fiction thought experiments to fire the philosophical imagination Good science fiction rarely disappoints good philosophy more rarely still

Thought experiments are imaginationrsquos fancies they are windows into the fundamental nature of things A philosophical thought experiment is a hypothetical situation in the ldquolaboratory of the mindrdquo that depicts something that often exceeds the bounds of current technology or even is incompatible with the laws of nature but that is supposed to reveal something philo-sophically enlightening or fundamental about the topic in question Thought experiments can demonstrate a point entertain illustrate a puzzle lay bare a contradiction in thought and move us to provide further clarification Indeed thought experiments have a distinguished intellectual history Both the creation of relativity and the interpretation of quantum mechanics rely heavily upon thought experiments Consider for instance Einsteinrsquos elevator and Schroumldingerrsquos cat And philosophers perhaps even more than physicists make heavy use of thought experiments Reneacute Descartes for instance asked us to imagine that the physical world around us was an elaborate illusion He imagined that the world was merely a dream or worse yet a hoax orchestrated by an evil demon bent on deceiving us He then asked How can we really be certain that we are not deceived in either of these ways

IntroductionThought Experiments Science Fiction as a Window into Philosophical Puzzles

Susan Schneider

2 Susan Schneider

(See Descartesrsquo piece Chapter 4 in this volume) Relatedly Plato asked us to imagine prisoners who had been shackled in a cave for as long as they can remember They face a wall Behind them is a fire Between the prisoners and the fire is a pathway where men walk carrying vessels statues and other objects (see Figure I1)

As the men walk behind the prisoners they and the objects they carry cast shadows on the cave wall The prisoners are thus not able to see the actual men and objects their world is merely a world of shadows Knowing nothing of the real causes of the shadows the prisoners would naturally mistake these shadows for the real nature of things Plato then asked Is this analogous to our own understanding of reality That is is the human condition such that our grasp of reality is only partial catching only the slightest glimpse into the true nature of things like the prisonersrsquo world of shadows1

Intriguingly if you read science fiction writers like Stanislaw Lem Isaac Asimov Arthur C Clark and Robert Sawyer you are already aware that some of the best science fiction tales are in fact long versions of philosophi-cal thought experiments From Clarkrsquos film 2001 A Space Odyssey which explored the twin ideas of intelligent design and artificial intelligence gone awry to the Matrix films which were partly inspired by Platorsquos Cave philosophy and science fiction are converging upon a set of shared themes and questions Indeed there is almost no end to the list of issues in science fiction that are philosophically intriguing It is thus my modest hope that this short book isolates a number of key areas in philosophy where the inter-play between philosophy and science fiction is especially rich For instance

Fire

Pathway

PrisonersShadows

Figure I1 Platorsquos Cave

Introduction Thought Experiments 3

you might have seen the films AI or I Robot (or you may have read the stories they are derived from) And you might have asked

Can robots be conscious Should they have rights Is artificial intelligence that is smarter than us even possible

Or you might have read a time travel story such as H G Wellsrsquos The Time Machine and asked

Is time travel possible Indeed what is the nature of space and time

In this book we delve into these questions as well as many others such as

Could I be deceived about the external world as in The Matrix or Vanilla Sky

What is the nature of persons For instance can my mind survive the death of my body Can I ldquouploadrdquo my memories into a computer and somehow survive (as in the film Transcendence and the novel Mindscan)

Do we ever act freely or is everything predetermined (see eg Minority Report)

Should we enhance our brains and even change our very nature (see eg the cyberpunk genre)

So let us see in more detail where our reflections will lead

Part I Could I Be in a ldquoMatrixrdquo or Computer Simulation

Related Works The Matrix Avatar Enderrsquos Game The Hunger Games Simulacron‐3 Ubik Tron Permutation City Vanilla Sky Total Recall

You sit here in front of this book You are as confident that the book exists as you are of the existence of any physical object The lighting is good indeed you feel the pages pressing on your hands ndash this is no illusion But think of stories like The Matrix or Vanilla Sky How can you really be sure that any of this is real Perhaps you are simply part of a computer‐generated virtual reality created by an omnipotent supercomputer of unthinkable proportions Is there some way to rule out such a scenario

Our first section explores the aforementioned issue of the reality of the external world Does the world around you ndash the people you encounter the book you are now reading indeed even your hand ndash really exist Answers to

viii Contents

Part II What Am I Free Will and the Nature of Persons

Related Works Moon Software Star Trek The Next Generation Second Chances Mindscan The Matrix Diaspora Blindsight Permutation City Kiln People The Gods Themselves Jerry Was a Man Nine Lives Minority Report 55

6 Where Am I 57Daniel C Dennett

7 Personal Identity 69Eric Olson

8 Divided Minds and the Nature of Persons 91Derek Parfit

9 Who Am I What Am I 99Ray Kurzweil

10 Free Will and Determinism in the World of Minority Report 104Michael Huemer

11 Excerpt from ldquoThe Book of Life A Thought Experimentrdquo 114Alvin I Goldman

Part III Mind Natural Artificial Hybrid and Superintelligent

Related Works Transcendence 2001 A Space Odyssey Humans Blade Runner AI Frankenstein Accelerando Terminator I Robot Neuromancer Last and First Men His Masterrsquos Voice The Fire Upon the Deep Solaris Stories of your Life 117

12 Robot Dreams 119Isaac Asimov

13 A Brain Speaks 125Andy Clark

14 Cyborgs Unplugged 130Andy Clark

15 Superintelligence and Singularity 146Ray Kurzweil

Contents ix

16 The Singularity A Philosophical Analysis 171David J Chalmers

17 Alien Minds 225Susan Schneider

Part IV Ethical and Political Issues

Related Works Brave New World Enderrsquos Game Johnny Mnemonic Gattaca I Robot Terminator 2001 A Space Odyssey Mindscan Autofac Neuromancer Planet of the Apes Children of Men Nineteen Eighty‐Four Player Piano For a Breath I Tarry Diamond Age 243

18 The Man on the Moon 245George J Annas

19 Mindscan Transcending and Enhancing the Human Brain 260Susan Schneider

20 The Doomsday Argument 277John Leslie

21 The Last Question 279Isaac Asimov

22 Asimovrsquos ldquoThree Laws of Roboticsrdquo and Machine Metaethics 290Susan Leigh Anderson

23 The Control Problem Excerpts from Superintelligence Paths Dangers Strategies 308Nick Bostrom

Part V Space and Time

Related Works Interstellar Twelve Monkeys Slaughterhouse‐Five All You Zombies The Time Machine Back to the Future Flatland A Romance in Many Dimensions Anathem 331

24 A Sound of Thunder 333Ray Bradbury

25 Time 343Theodore Sider

x Contents

26 The Paradoxes of Time Travel 357David Lewis

27 The Quantum Physics of Time Travel 370David Deutsch and Michael Lockwood

28 Miracles and Wonders Science Fiction as Epistemology 384Richard Hanley

Appendix Philosophers Recommend Science Fiction 393Eric Schwitzgebel

Index 410

Science Fiction and Philosophy From Time Travel to Superintelligence Second Edition Edited by Susan Schneider copy 2016 John Wiley amp Sons Inc Published 2016 by John Wiley amp Sons Inc

Let us open the door to age‐old questions about our very nature the nature of the universe and whether there are limits to what we as humans can understand But as old as these issues are let us do something relatively new ndash let us borrow from the world of science fiction thought experiments to fire the philosophical imagination Good science fiction rarely disappoints good philosophy more rarely still

Thought experiments are imaginationrsquos fancies they are windows into the fundamental nature of things A philosophical thought experiment is a hypothetical situation in the ldquolaboratory of the mindrdquo that depicts something that often exceeds the bounds of current technology or even is incompatible with the laws of nature but that is supposed to reveal something philo-sophically enlightening or fundamental about the topic in question Thought experiments can demonstrate a point entertain illustrate a puzzle lay bare a contradiction in thought and move us to provide further clarification Indeed thought experiments have a distinguished intellectual history Both the creation of relativity and the interpretation of quantum mechanics rely heavily upon thought experiments Consider for instance Einsteinrsquos elevator and Schroumldingerrsquos cat And philosophers perhaps even more than physicists make heavy use of thought experiments Reneacute Descartes for instance asked us to imagine that the physical world around us was an elaborate illusion He imagined that the world was merely a dream or worse yet a hoax orchestrated by an evil demon bent on deceiving us He then asked How can we really be certain that we are not deceived in either of these ways

IntroductionThought Experiments Science Fiction as a Window into Philosophical Puzzles

Susan Schneider

2 Susan Schneider

(See Descartesrsquo piece Chapter 4 in this volume) Relatedly Plato asked us to imagine prisoners who had been shackled in a cave for as long as they can remember They face a wall Behind them is a fire Between the prisoners and the fire is a pathway where men walk carrying vessels statues and other objects (see Figure I1)

As the men walk behind the prisoners they and the objects they carry cast shadows on the cave wall The prisoners are thus not able to see the actual men and objects their world is merely a world of shadows Knowing nothing of the real causes of the shadows the prisoners would naturally mistake these shadows for the real nature of things Plato then asked Is this analogous to our own understanding of reality That is is the human condition such that our grasp of reality is only partial catching only the slightest glimpse into the true nature of things like the prisonersrsquo world of shadows1

Intriguingly if you read science fiction writers like Stanislaw Lem Isaac Asimov Arthur C Clark and Robert Sawyer you are already aware that some of the best science fiction tales are in fact long versions of philosophi-cal thought experiments From Clarkrsquos film 2001 A Space Odyssey which explored the twin ideas of intelligent design and artificial intelligence gone awry to the Matrix films which were partly inspired by Platorsquos Cave philosophy and science fiction are converging upon a set of shared themes and questions Indeed there is almost no end to the list of issues in science fiction that are philosophically intriguing It is thus my modest hope that this short book isolates a number of key areas in philosophy where the inter-play between philosophy and science fiction is especially rich For instance

Fire

Pathway

PrisonersShadows

Figure I1 Platorsquos Cave

Introduction Thought Experiments 3

you might have seen the films AI or I Robot (or you may have read the stories they are derived from) And you might have asked

Can robots be conscious Should they have rights Is artificial intelligence that is smarter than us even possible

Or you might have read a time travel story such as H G Wellsrsquos The Time Machine and asked

Is time travel possible Indeed what is the nature of space and time

In this book we delve into these questions as well as many others such as

Could I be deceived about the external world as in The Matrix or Vanilla Sky

What is the nature of persons For instance can my mind survive the death of my body Can I ldquouploadrdquo my memories into a computer and somehow survive (as in the film Transcendence and the novel Mindscan)

Do we ever act freely or is everything predetermined (see eg Minority Report)

Should we enhance our brains and even change our very nature (see eg the cyberpunk genre)

So let us see in more detail where our reflections will lead

Part I Could I Be in a ldquoMatrixrdquo or Computer Simulation

Related Works The Matrix Avatar Enderrsquos Game The Hunger Games Simulacron‐3 Ubik Tron Permutation City Vanilla Sky Total Recall

You sit here in front of this book You are as confident that the book exists as you are of the existence of any physical object The lighting is good indeed you feel the pages pressing on your hands ndash this is no illusion But think of stories like The Matrix or Vanilla Sky How can you really be sure that any of this is real Perhaps you are simply part of a computer‐generated virtual reality created by an omnipotent supercomputer of unthinkable proportions Is there some way to rule out such a scenario

Our first section explores the aforementioned issue of the reality of the external world Does the world around you ndash the people you encounter the book you are now reading indeed even your hand ndash really exist Answers to

Contents ix

16 The Singularity A Philosophical Analysis 171David J Chalmers

17 Alien Minds 225Susan Schneider

Part IV Ethical and Political Issues

Related Works Brave New World Enderrsquos Game Johnny Mnemonic Gattaca I Robot Terminator 2001 A Space Odyssey Mindscan Autofac Neuromancer Planet of the Apes Children of Men Nineteen Eighty‐Four Player Piano For a Breath I Tarry Diamond Age 243

18 The Man on the Moon 245George J Annas

19 Mindscan Transcending and Enhancing the Human Brain 260Susan Schneider

20 The Doomsday Argument 277John Leslie

21 The Last Question 279Isaac Asimov

22 Asimovrsquos ldquoThree Laws of Roboticsrdquo and Machine Metaethics 290Susan Leigh Anderson

23 The Control Problem Excerpts from Superintelligence Paths Dangers Strategies 308Nick Bostrom

Part V Space and Time

Related Works Interstellar Twelve Monkeys Slaughterhouse‐Five All You Zombies The Time Machine Back to the Future Flatland A Romance in Many Dimensions Anathem 331

24 A Sound of Thunder 333Ray Bradbury

25 Time 343Theodore Sider

x Contents

26 The Paradoxes of Time Travel 357David Lewis

27 The Quantum Physics of Time Travel 370David Deutsch and Michael Lockwood

28 Miracles and Wonders Science Fiction as Epistemology 384Richard Hanley

Appendix Philosophers Recommend Science Fiction 393Eric Schwitzgebel

Index 410

Science Fiction and Philosophy From Time Travel to Superintelligence Second Edition Edited by Susan Schneider copy 2016 John Wiley amp Sons Inc Published 2016 by John Wiley amp Sons Inc

Let us open the door to age‐old questions about our very nature the nature of the universe and whether there are limits to what we as humans can understand But as old as these issues are let us do something relatively new ndash let us borrow from the world of science fiction thought experiments to fire the philosophical imagination Good science fiction rarely disappoints good philosophy more rarely still

Thought experiments are imaginationrsquos fancies they are windows into the fundamental nature of things A philosophical thought experiment is a hypothetical situation in the ldquolaboratory of the mindrdquo that depicts something that often exceeds the bounds of current technology or even is incompatible with the laws of nature but that is supposed to reveal something philo-sophically enlightening or fundamental about the topic in question Thought experiments can demonstrate a point entertain illustrate a puzzle lay bare a contradiction in thought and move us to provide further clarification Indeed thought experiments have a distinguished intellectual history Both the creation of relativity and the interpretation of quantum mechanics rely heavily upon thought experiments Consider for instance Einsteinrsquos elevator and Schroumldingerrsquos cat And philosophers perhaps even more than physicists make heavy use of thought experiments Reneacute Descartes for instance asked us to imagine that the physical world around us was an elaborate illusion He imagined that the world was merely a dream or worse yet a hoax orchestrated by an evil demon bent on deceiving us He then asked How can we really be certain that we are not deceived in either of these ways

IntroductionThought Experiments Science Fiction as a Window into Philosophical Puzzles

Susan Schneider

2 Susan Schneider

(See Descartesrsquo piece Chapter 4 in this volume) Relatedly Plato asked us to imagine prisoners who had been shackled in a cave for as long as they can remember They face a wall Behind them is a fire Between the prisoners and the fire is a pathway where men walk carrying vessels statues and other objects (see Figure I1)

As the men walk behind the prisoners they and the objects they carry cast shadows on the cave wall The prisoners are thus not able to see the actual men and objects their world is merely a world of shadows Knowing nothing of the real causes of the shadows the prisoners would naturally mistake these shadows for the real nature of things Plato then asked Is this analogous to our own understanding of reality That is is the human condition such that our grasp of reality is only partial catching only the slightest glimpse into the true nature of things like the prisonersrsquo world of shadows1

Intriguingly if you read science fiction writers like Stanislaw Lem Isaac Asimov Arthur C Clark and Robert Sawyer you are already aware that some of the best science fiction tales are in fact long versions of philosophi-cal thought experiments From Clarkrsquos film 2001 A Space Odyssey which explored the twin ideas of intelligent design and artificial intelligence gone awry to the Matrix films which were partly inspired by Platorsquos Cave philosophy and science fiction are converging upon a set of shared themes and questions Indeed there is almost no end to the list of issues in science fiction that are philosophically intriguing It is thus my modest hope that this short book isolates a number of key areas in philosophy where the inter-play between philosophy and science fiction is especially rich For instance

Fire

Pathway

PrisonersShadows

Figure I1 Platorsquos Cave

Introduction Thought Experiments 3

you might have seen the films AI or I Robot (or you may have read the stories they are derived from) And you might have asked

Can robots be conscious Should they have rights Is artificial intelligence that is smarter than us even possible

Or you might have read a time travel story such as H G Wellsrsquos The Time Machine and asked

Is time travel possible Indeed what is the nature of space and time

In this book we delve into these questions as well as many others such as

Could I be deceived about the external world as in The Matrix or Vanilla Sky

What is the nature of persons For instance can my mind survive the death of my body Can I ldquouploadrdquo my memories into a computer and somehow survive (as in the film Transcendence and the novel Mindscan)

Do we ever act freely or is everything predetermined (see eg Minority Report)

Should we enhance our brains and even change our very nature (see eg the cyberpunk genre)

So let us see in more detail where our reflections will lead

Part I Could I Be in a ldquoMatrixrdquo or Computer Simulation

Related Works The Matrix Avatar Enderrsquos Game The Hunger Games Simulacron‐3 Ubik Tron Permutation City Vanilla Sky Total Recall

You sit here in front of this book You are as confident that the book exists as you are of the existence of any physical object The lighting is good indeed you feel the pages pressing on your hands ndash this is no illusion But think of stories like The Matrix or Vanilla Sky How can you really be sure that any of this is real Perhaps you are simply part of a computer‐generated virtual reality created by an omnipotent supercomputer of unthinkable proportions Is there some way to rule out such a scenario

Our first section explores the aforementioned issue of the reality of the external world Does the world around you ndash the people you encounter the book you are now reading indeed even your hand ndash really exist Answers to

x Contents

26 The Paradoxes of Time Travel 357David Lewis

27 The Quantum Physics of Time Travel 370David Deutsch and Michael Lockwood

28 Miracles and Wonders Science Fiction as Epistemology 384Richard Hanley

Appendix Philosophers Recommend Science Fiction 393Eric Schwitzgebel

Index 410

Science Fiction and Philosophy From Time Travel to Superintelligence Second Edition Edited by Susan Schneider copy 2016 John Wiley amp Sons Inc Published 2016 by John Wiley amp Sons Inc

Let us open the door to age‐old questions about our very nature the nature of the universe and whether there are limits to what we as humans can understand But as old as these issues are let us do something relatively new ndash let us borrow from the world of science fiction thought experiments to fire the philosophical imagination Good science fiction rarely disappoints good philosophy more rarely still

Thought experiments are imaginationrsquos fancies they are windows into the fundamental nature of things A philosophical thought experiment is a hypothetical situation in the ldquolaboratory of the mindrdquo that depicts something that often exceeds the bounds of current technology or even is incompatible with the laws of nature but that is supposed to reveal something philo-sophically enlightening or fundamental about the topic in question Thought experiments can demonstrate a point entertain illustrate a puzzle lay bare a contradiction in thought and move us to provide further clarification Indeed thought experiments have a distinguished intellectual history Both the creation of relativity and the interpretation of quantum mechanics rely heavily upon thought experiments Consider for instance Einsteinrsquos elevator and Schroumldingerrsquos cat And philosophers perhaps even more than physicists make heavy use of thought experiments Reneacute Descartes for instance asked us to imagine that the physical world around us was an elaborate illusion He imagined that the world was merely a dream or worse yet a hoax orchestrated by an evil demon bent on deceiving us He then asked How can we really be certain that we are not deceived in either of these ways

IntroductionThought Experiments Science Fiction as a Window into Philosophical Puzzles

Susan Schneider

2 Susan Schneider

(See Descartesrsquo piece Chapter 4 in this volume) Relatedly Plato asked us to imagine prisoners who had been shackled in a cave for as long as they can remember They face a wall Behind them is a fire Between the prisoners and the fire is a pathway where men walk carrying vessels statues and other objects (see Figure I1)

As the men walk behind the prisoners they and the objects they carry cast shadows on the cave wall The prisoners are thus not able to see the actual men and objects their world is merely a world of shadows Knowing nothing of the real causes of the shadows the prisoners would naturally mistake these shadows for the real nature of things Plato then asked Is this analogous to our own understanding of reality That is is the human condition such that our grasp of reality is only partial catching only the slightest glimpse into the true nature of things like the prisonersrsquo world of shadows1

Intriguingly if you read science fiction writers like Stanislaw Lem Isaac Asimov Arthur C Clark and Robert Sawyer you are already aware that some of the best science fiction tales are in fact long versions of philosophi-cal thought experiments From Clarkrsquos film 2001 A Space Odyssey which explored the twin ideas of intelligent design and artificial intelligence gone awry to the Matrix films which were partly inspired by Platorsquos Cave philosophy and science fiction are converging upon a set of shared themes and questions Indeed there is almost no end to the list of issues in science fiction that are philosophically intriguing It is thus my modest hope that this short book isolates a number of key areas in philosophy where the inter-play between philosophy and science fiction is especially rich For instance

Fire

Pathway

PrisonersShadows

Figure I1 Platorsquos Cave

Introduction Thought Experiments 3

you might have seen the films AI or I Robot (or you may have read the stories they are derived from) And you might have asked

Can robots be conscious Should they have rights Is artificial intelligence that is smarter than us even possible

Or you might have read a time travel story such as H G Wellsrsquos The Time Machine and asked

Is time travel possible Indeed what is the nature of space and time

In this book we delve into these questions as well as many others such as

Could I be deceived about the external world as in The Matrix or Vanilla Sky

What is the nature of persons For instance can my mind survive the death of my body Can I ldquouploadrdquo my memories into a computer and somehow survive (as in the film Transcendence and the novel Mindscan)

Do we ever act freely or is everything predetermined (see eg Minority Report)

Should we enhance our brains and even change our very nature (see eg the cyberpunk genre)

So let us see in more detail where our reflections will lead

Part I Could I Be in a ldquoMatrixrdquo or Computer Simulation

Related Works The Matrix Avatar Enderrsquos Game The Hunger Games Simulacron‐3 Ubik Tron Permutation City Vanilla Sky Total Recall

You sit here in front of this book You are as confident that the book exists as you are of the existence of any physical object The lighting is good indeed you feel the pages pressing on your hands ndash this is no illusion But think of stories like The Matrix or Vanilla Sky How can you really be sure that any of this is real Perhaps you are simply part of a computer‐generated virtual reality created by an omnipotent supercomputer of unthinkable proportions Is there some way to rule out such a scenario

Our first section explores the aforementioned issue of the reality of the external world Does the world around you ndash the people you encounter the book you are now reading indeed even your hand ndash really exist Answers to

Science Fiction and Philosophy From Time Travel to Superintelligence Second Edition Edited by Susan Schneider copy 2016 John Wiley amp Sons Inc Published 2016 by John Wiley amp Sons Inc

Let us open the door to age‐old questions about our very nature the nature of the universe and whether there are limits to what we as humans can understand But as old as these issues are let us do something relatively new ndash let us borrow from the world of science fiction thought experiments to fire the philosophical imagination Good science fiction rarely disappoints good philosophy more rarely still

Thought experiments are imaginationrsquos fancies they are windows into the fundamental nature of things A philosophical thought experiment is a hypothetical situation in the ldquolaboratory of the mindrdquo that depicts something that often exceeds the bounds of current technology or even is incompatible with the laws of nature but that is supposed to reveal something philo-sophically enlightening or fundamental about the topic in question Thought experiments can demonstrate a point entertain illustrate a puzzle lay bare a contradiction in thought and move us to provide further clarification Indeed thought experiments have a distinguished intellectual history Both the creation of relativity and the interpretation of quantum mechanics rely heavily upon thought experiments Consider for instance Einsteinrsquos elevator and Schroumldingerrsquos cat And philosophers perhaps even more than physicists make heavy use of thought experiments Reneacute Descartes for instance asked us to imagine that the physical world around us was an elaborate illusion He imagined that the world was merely a dream or worse yet a hoax orchestrated by an evil demon bent on deceiving us He then asked How can we really be certain that we are not deceived in either of these ways

IntroductionThought Experiments Science Fiction as a Window into Philosophical Puzzles

Susan Schneider

2 Susan Schneider

(See Descartesrsquo piece Chapter 4 in this volume) Relatedly Plato asked us to imagine prisoners who had been shackled in a cave for as long as they can remember They face a wall Behind them is a fire Between the prisoners and the fire is a pathway where men walk carrying vessels statues and other objects (see Figure I1)

As the men walk behind the prisoners they and the objects they carry cast shadows on the cave wall The prisoners are thus not able to see the actual men and objects their world is merely a world of shadows Knowing nothing of the real causes of the shadows the prisoners would naturally mistake these shadows for the real nature of things Plato then asked Is this analogous to our own understanding of reality That is is the human condition such that our grasp of reality is only partial catching only the slightest glimpse into the true nature of things like the prisonersrsquo world of shadows1

Intriguingly if you read science fiction writers like Stanislaw Lem Isaac Asimov Arthur C Clark and Robert Sawyer you are already aware that some of the best science fiction tales are in fact long versions of philosophi-cal thought experiments From Clarkrsquos film 2001 A Space Odyssey which explored the twin ideas of intelligent design and artificial intelligence gone awry to the Matrix films which were partly inspired by Platorsquos Cave philosophy and science fiction are converging upon a set of shared themes and questions Indeed there is almost no end to the list of issues in science fiction that are philosophically intriguing It is thus my modest hope that this short book isolates a number of key areas in philosophy where the inter-play between philosophy and science fiction is especially rich For instance

Fire

Pathway

PrisonersShadows

Figure I1 Platorsquos Cave

Introduction Thought Experiments 3

you might have seen the films AI or I Robot (or you may have read the stories they are derived from) And you might have asked

Can robots be conscious Should they have rights Is artificial intelligence that is smarter than us even possible

Or you might have read a time travel story such as H G Wellsrsquos The Time Machine and asked

Is time travel possible Indeed what is the nature of space and time

In this book we delve into these questions as well as many others such as

Could I be deceived about the external world as in The Matrix or Vanilla Sky

What is the nature of persons For instance can my mind survive the death of my body Can I ldquouploadrdquo my memories into a computer and somehow survive (as in the film Transcendence and the novel Mindscan)

Do we ever act freely or is everything predetermined (see eg Minority Report)

Should we enhance our brains and even change our very nature (see eg the cyberpunk genre)

So let us see in more detail where our reflections will lead

Part I Could I Be in a ldquoMatrixrdquo or Computer Simulation

Related Works The Matrix Avatar Enderrsquos Game The Hunger Games Simulacron‐3 Ubik Tron Permutation City Vanilla Sky Total Recall

You sit here in front of this book You are as confident that the book exists as you are of the existence of any physical object The lighting is good indeed you feel the pages pressing on your hands ndash this is no illusion But think of stories like The Matrix or Vanilla Sky How can you really be sure that any of this is real Perhaps you are simply part of a computer‐generated virtual reality created by an omnipotent supercomputer of unthinkable proportions Is there some way to rule out such a scenario

Our first section explores the aforementioned issue of the reality of the external world Does the world around you ndash the people you encounter the book you are now reading indeed even your hand ndash really exist Answers to

2 Susan Schneider

(See Descartesrsquo piece Chapter 4 in this volume) Relatedly Plato asked us to imagine prisoners who had been shackled in a cave for as long as they can remember They face a wall Behind them is a fire Between the prisoners and the fire is a pathway where men walk carrying vessels statues and other objects (see Figure I1)

As the men walk behind the prisoners they and the objects they carry cast shadows on the cave wall The prisoners are thus not able to see the actual men and objects their world is merely a world of shadows Knowing nothing of the real causes of the shadows the prisoners would naturally mistake these shadows for the real nature of things Plato then asked Is this analogous to our own understanding of reality That is is the human condition such that our grasp of reality is only partial catching only the slightest glimpse into the true nature of things like the prisonersrsquo world of shadows1

Intriguingly if you read science fiction writers like Stanislaw Lem Isaac Asimov Arthur C Clark and Robert Sawyer you are already aware that some of the best science fiction tales are in fact long versions of philosophi-cal thought experiments From Clarkrsquos film 2001 A Space Odyssey which explored the twin ideas of intelligent design and artificial intelligence gone awry to the Matrix films which were partly inspired by Platorsquos Cave philosophy and science fiction are converging upon a set of shared themes and questions Indeed there is almost no end to the list of issues in science fiction that are philosophically intriguing It is thus my modest hope that this short book isolates a number of key areas in philosophy where the inter-play between philosophy and science fiction is especially rich For instance

Fire

Pathway

PrisonersShadows

Figure I1 Platorsquos Cave

Introduction Thought Experiments 3

you might have seen the films AI or I Robot (or you may have read the stories they are derived from) And you might have asked

Can robots be conscious Should they have rights Is artificial intelligence that is smarter than us even possible

Or you might have read a time travel story such as H G Wellsrsquos The Time Machine and asked

Is time travel possible Indeed what is the nature of space and time

In this book we delve into these questions as well as many others such as

Could I be deceived about the external world as in The Matrix or Vanilla Sky

What is the nature of persons For instance can my mind survive the death of my body Can I ldquouploadrdquo my memories into a computer and somehow survive (as in the film Transcendence and the novel Mindscan)

Do we ever act freely or is everything predetermined (see eg Minority Report)

Should we enhance our brains and even change our very nature (see eg the cyberpunk genre)

So let us see in more detail where our reflections will lead

Part I Could I Be in a ldquoMatrixrdquo or Computer Simulation

Related Works The Matrix Avatar Enderrsquos Game The Hunger Games Simulacron‐3 Ubik Tron Permutation City Vanilla Sky Total Recall

You sit here in front of this book You are as confident that the book exists as you are of the existence of any physical object The lighting is good indeed you feel the pages pressing on your hands ndash this is no illusion But think of stories like The Matrix or Vanilla Sky How can you really be sure that any of this is real Perhaps you are simply part of a computer‐generated virtual reality created by an omnipotent supercomputer of unthinkable proportions Is there some way to rule out such a scenario

Our first section explores the aforementioned issue of the reality of the external world Does the world around you ndash the people you encounter the book you are now reading indeed even your hand ndash really exist Answers to

Introduction Thought Experiments 3

you might have seen the films AI or I Robot (or you may have read the stories they are derived from) And you might have asked

Can robots be conscious Should they have rights Is artificial intelligence that is smarter than us even possible

Or you might have read a time travel story such as H G Wellsrsquos The Time Machine and asked

Is time travel possible Indeed what is the nature of space and time

In this book we delve into these questions as well as many others such as

Could I be deceived about the external world as in The Matrix or Vanilla Sky

What is the nature of persons For instance can my mind survive the death of my body Can I ldquouploadrdquo my memories into a computer and somehow survive (as in the film Transcendence and the novel Mindscan)

Do we ever act freely or is everything predetermined (see eg Minority Report)

Should we enhance our brains and even change our very nature (see eg the cyberpunk genre)

So let us see in more detail where our reflections will lead

Part I Could I Be in a ldquoMatrixrdquo or Computer Simulation

Related Works The Matrix Avatar Enderrsquos Game The Hunger Games Simulacron‐3 Ubik Tron Permutation City Vanilla Sky Total Recall

You sit here in front of this book You are as confident that the book exists as you are of the existence of any physical object The lighting is good indeed you feel the pages pressing on your hands ndash this is no illusion But think of stories like The Matrix or Vanilla Sky How can you really be sure that any of this is real Perhaps you are simply part of a computer‐generated virtual reality created by an omnipotent supercomputer of unthinkable proportions Is there some way to rule out such a scenario

Our first section explores the aforementioned issue of the reality of the external world Does the world around you ndash the people you encounter the book you are now reading indeed even your hand ndash really exist Answers to