I’m now being entertained by contemplating the difference between an occasional solipsist who believes that they are occasionally the only real person in the world, and one who occasionally believes they are (and have always been) the only real person in the world.
Well, if one considers p-zombies a coherent idea (which I don’t), I can’t see how it’s noticeably less plausible to have someone who is sometimes genuinely conscious and sometimes a p-zombie. From there, to the idea that everyone is like that, seems a small step.
Of course, this also allows for the occasional solipsist who believes that occasionally there’s only one real person in the world and it isn’t them.
Years ago someone said to me “There are only forty-seven real people in the world, the rest are just bad special effects” to which i replied “I take exception to that: I am a damn good special effect!”
I actually find a variation on the part-time zombie to be...spot on, In terms of what the algorithm feels like.
All you need is a bit of sleep deprivation.
Could you expand on that?
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I’m now being entertained by contemplating the difference between an occasional solipsist who believes that they are occasionally the only real person in the world, and one who occasionally believes they are (and have always been) the only real person in the world.
.
I wonder what the first kind of occasional solipsist would think happened to all the other people when they became the one real person.
Well, if one considers p-zombies a coherent idea (which I don’t), I can’t see how it’s noticeably less plausible to have someone who is sometimes genuinely conscious and sometimes a p-zombie. From there, to the idea that everyone is like that, seems a small step.
Of course, this also allows for the occasional solipsist who believes that occasionally there’s only one real person in the world and it isn’t them.
Years ago someone said to me “There are only forty-seven real people in the world, the rest are just bad special effects” to which i replied “I take exception to that: I am a damn good special effect!”
I actually find a variation on the part-time zombie to be...spot on, In terms of what the algorithm feels like. All you need is a bit of sleep deprivation.