Even the smartest people I know have a commendable tendency not to take certain ideas seriously.
Indeed, I think this tendency commendable and I do not take these ideas seriously. Like Puddleglum, I ignore and am untroubled by the whispers of evil spirits, even though I may not (yet) have any argument against them. I do not need one. Nor do I need to have an argument for ignoring them. Nor an argument for not looking for arguments. Gold Hat’s line comes to mind:
“Arguments? We ain’t got no arguments! We don’t need no arguments! I don’t have to show you any stinking arguments!”
I can show you a vibe instead, if that helps, but it probably doesn’t. Somehow, the Simulation Argument seems to me to not be doing enough work to get where it goes.
I would put more emphasis on this part:
Indeed, I think this tendency commendable and I do not take these ideas seriously. Like Puddleglum, I ignore and am untroubled by the whispers of evil spirits, even though I may not (yet) have any argument against them. I do not need one. Nor do I need to have an argument for ignoring them. Nor an argument for not looking for arguments. Gold Hat’s line comes to mind:
“Arguments? We ain’t got no arguments! We don’t need no arguments! I don’t have to show you any stinking arguments!”
I can show you a vibe instead, if that helps, but it probably doesn’t. Somehow, the Simulation Argument seems to me to not be doing enough work to get where it goes.