Of course, placebo is useful from the evolutionary point of view, and it is a subject of quite a lot of research. (Main idea—it is energetically costly to have your immune system always at high alert, so you boost it in particular moments, correlating with pleasure, usually from eating/drinking/sex, which is when germs usually get to the body. If interested, I will find the link to the research paper where it is discussed. ).
I am afraid I still fail to explain what I mean. I do not try to deduce from the observation that we are in a simulation, I don’t think it is possible (unless simulators decide to allow it). I am trying to see how the belief that we are in simulation with benevolent simulators can change my subjective experience. Notice, I can’t just trick myself to believe only because it is healthy to believe. This is why I needed all this theory above—to show that benevolent simulators are indeed highly likely. Then, and only then, I can hope for the placebo effect (or for real intervention masquerading under placebo effect), because now I believe that it may work. If I could just make myself to believe in whatever I needed, of course I would not need all these shenanigans—but, after being faithful LW reader for a while, it is really hard, if possible at all.
Ok. But what if there are other more effective methods to start believe in things which are known to be false? For example, hypnosis is effective for some.
Hmmm, but I am not saying that the benevolent simulators hypothesis is false and that I just choose to believe in it because it brings a positive effect. Rather opposite—I think that benevolent simulators are highly likely (more than 50% chance). So it is not a method “to believe in things which are known to be false”. It is rather an argument why they are likely to be true (of course, I may be wrong somewhere in this argument, so if you find an error, I will appreciate it).
In general, I don’t think people here want to believe false things.
Of course, placebo is useful from the evolutionary point of view, and it is a subject of quite a lot of research. (Main idea—it is energetically costly to have your immune system always at high alert, so you boost it in particular moments, correlating with pleasure, usually from eating/drinking/sex, which is when germs usually get to the body. If interested, I will find the link to the research paper where it is discussed. ).
I am afraid I still fail to explain what I mean. I do not try to deduce from the observation that we are in a simulation, I don’t think it is possible (unless simulators decide to allow it).
I am trying to see how the belief that we are in simulation with benevolent simulators can change my subjective experience. Notice, I can’t just trick myself to believe only because it is healthy to believe. This is why I needed all this theory above—to show that benevolent simulators are indeed highly likely. Then, and only then, I can hope for the placebo effect (or for real intervention masquerading under placebo effect), because now I believe that it may work. If I could just make myself to believe in whatever I needed, of course I would not need all these shenanigans—but, after being faithful LW reader for a while, it is really hard, if possible at all.
Ok. But what if there are other more effective methods to start believe in things which are known to be false? For example, hypnosis is effective for some.
Hmmm, but I am not saying that the benevolent simulators hypothesis is false and that I just choose to believe in it because it brings a positive effect. Rather opposite—I think that benevolent simulators are highly likely (more than 50% chance). So it is not a method “to believe in things which are known to be false”. It is rather an argument why they are likely to be true (of course, I may be wrong somewhere in this argument, so if you find an error, I will appreciate it).
In general, I don’t think people here want to believe false things.