262 | Eric Schwitzgebel on the Weirdness of the World
Jan 15, 2024
01:20:09
auto_awesome Snipd AI
Philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel discusses the weirdness of the world, including quantum mechanics, consciousness, living in a simulation, and the limitations of common sense. The chapter explores the uncertainty of perception, skepticism, and the nature of consciousness.
Read more
AI Summary
Highlights
AI Chapters
Episode notes
auto_awesome
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
Attempts to understand consciousness lead to bizarre and dubious conclusions, such as substance dualism, materialism, idealism, and compromise/rejection views.
Incorporating skepticism into our daily lives involves engaging in low-cost activities that would be enjoyable if we were in a dream, while recognizing the limit of our knowledge and accepting radical ignorance about the distant future.
The challenge lies in balancing small probabilities with high stakes in ethical and decision-making contexts, as well as measuring and comparing values in long-term perspectives.
Deep dives
The Bizarre World of Consciousness
Attempts to understand consciousness lead to bizarre and dubious conclusions. Substance dualism posits immaterial souls, materialism denies the existence of souls, idealism suggests only minds exist, and compromise/rejection views lead to multiple bizarre theses. For example, dualism raises the question of which entities have souls, with options like only humans, everything in the world, a sharp line between animals, or graded souls. Materialism also has its challenges, such as the possibility that complex entities like the United States could be conscious. These philosophical investigations demonstrate the inherent weirdness in grappling with consciousness.
The Skeptical Scenarios
Skeptical scenarios like the dream argument, simulation hypothesis, and the possibility that the universe exists solely in one's mind challenge our understanding of the external world. While these scenarios may have extremely low probabilities, their consequences can be huge. Incorporating skepticism into our daily lives may involve engaging in low-cost activities that would be enjoyable if we were in a dream, while recognizing the limit of our knowledge and accepting radical ignorance about the distant future.
Balancing Small Credences and Large Consequences
The challenge of reconciling small credences with large consequences arises in various ethical and decision-making contexts. Philosophers have explored Nickelocian discounting, where extremely low probabilities are ignored, while others argue for substantial consideration of rare but significant outcomes. The difficulty lies in determining how to balance small probabilities with high stakes, as well as the challenges of measuring and comparing values in long-term perspectives.
Dream skepticism and grounded skepticism
Dream skepticism is the idea that our current experience might be a dream. It is supported by the fact that we dream every night and that dream experiences can be similar to our current experiences. Grounded skepticism, on the other hand, starts with our ordinary background assumptions and questions whether there are positive reasons to doubt our current experience. While dream skepticism has some grounds for doubt, such as the similarity of dream experiences, other skeptical scenarios like being a brain in a vat or living in a simulated reality lack positive reasons to support them.
The simulation hypothesis and skeptical possibilities
The simulation hypothesis suggests that we might be living in an artificial reality created by advanced beings. While there is no conclusive evidence for this hypothesis, it is not completely implausible given the possibilities of artificial intelligence and simulated environments. However, there are uncertainties regarding the size and stability of such simulations. The existence of multiple conscious beings within simulations can give some grounds for doubt, but it's challenging to determine the likelihood of being in a simulation. These skeptical scenarios present us with bizarre possibilities, but it is reasonable to reserve a small credence to them while acknowledging the limitations of our knowledge.
Scientists and philosophers sometimes advocate pretty outrageous-sounding ideas about the fundamental nature of reality. (Arguably I have been guilty of this.) It shouldn't be surprising that reality, in regimes far away from our everyday experience, fails to conform to common sense. But it's also okay to maintain a bit of skepticism in the face of bizarre claims. Philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel wants us to face up to the weirdness of the world. He claims that there are no non-weird ways to explain some of the most important features of reality, from quantum mechanics to consciousness.
Eric Schwitzgebel received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside. He is the author of several books, including the new The Weirdness of the World.