I’m not sure I understand. If existing humans became immortal, but no more humans were created, then it removes the need for a future extinction to explain the number of humans that will ever exist.
It’s not about the number of humans. It’s about the number of observer-moments. Imagine if you were the only human ever. If you’re only twenty years old, it’s unlikely that you’d live to be a billion. You’re not going to just happen to be in one of the first twenty years.
What does that mean, “You’re not going to just happen to be in one of the first twenty years”? There are people who have survived more than one billion seconds past their twenty first birthdays. And each one, at one point, was within twenty second of their twenty first birthday. What would you say to someone whose twenty first birthday was less than twenty seconds ago who says “I’m not going to just happen to be in the first twenty seconds”?
And each one, at one point, was within twenty second of their twenty first birthday.
Yes, but at many more points they were not.
What would you say to someone whose twenty first birthday was less than twenty seconds ago who says “I’m not going to just happen to be in the first twenty seconds”?
I’d tell them that they’re even less likely to hallucinate evidence that suggests they are.
Every day, at some point it’s noon, to the second. If you looked at your watch and it had a second hand, and it was noon to the second, you’d still find that a pretty big coincidence, wouldn’t you?
I’m not sure I understand. If existing humans became immortal, but no more humans were created, then it removes the need for a future extinction to explain the number of humans that will ever exist.
It’s not about the number of humans. It’s about the number of observer-moments. Imagine if you were the only human ever. If you’re only twenty years old, it’s unlikely that you’d live to be a billion. You’re not going to just happen to be in one of the first twenty years.
What does that mean, “You’re not going to just happen to be in one of the first twenty years”? There are people who have survived more than one billion seconds past their twenty first birthdays. And each one, at one point, was within twenty second of their twenty first birthday. What would you say to someone whose twenty first birthday was less than twenty seconds ago who says “I’m not going to just happen to be in the first twenty seconds”?
Yes, but at many more points they were not.
I’d tell them that they’re even less likely to hallucinate evidence that suggests they are.
Every day, at some point it’s noon, to the second. If you looked at your watch and it had a second hand, and it was noon to the second, you’d still find that a pretty big coincidence, wouldn’t you?