I’m betting this is about uploading. One of Gal’s values is loyalty to her own past.
I see an aspect of her objections as reasonable. There could be subtle differences between the experience of driving a car with a real internal combustion engine and one which simulates the engine. For example, the real engine is affected by changes in itself and its environment, while the simulated engine makes sounds and vibrations which are less varied and responsive.
The hypothetical scenario stipulates that the illusion is perfect so long as you’re driving the car. That may be an unrealistically difficult goal to achieve, but if you take its success as given, it means that the illusion really is as good as the true thing… so long as the illusion is never pierced. The problem, of course, is that with a car the illusion would be all too easy to pierce; just pop the hood. Even if the actual goal is not to drive an internal combustion car but merely to *believe” you drive such a car, one glance beneath the hood (or having once been told the truth) still means a loss of value.
I’m betting this is about uploading. One of Gal’s values is loyalty to her own past.
I see an aspect of her objections as reasonable. There could be subtle differences between the experience of driving a car with a real internal combustion engine and one which simulates the engine. For example, the real engine is affected by changes in itself and its environment, while the simulated engine makes sounds and vibrations which are less varied and responsive.
The hypothetical scenario stipulates that the illusion is perfect so long as you’re driving the car. That may be an unrealistically difficult goal to achieve, but if you take its success as given, it means that the illusion really is as good as the true thing… so long as the illusion is never pierced. The problem, of course, is that with a car the illusion would be all too easy to pierce; just pop the hood. Even if the actual goal is not to drive an internal combustion car but merely to *believe” you drive such a car, one glance beneath the hood (or having once been told the truth) still means a loss of value.