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While I'll need to doublecheck, I'm not sure that Bostrum is arguing that running such a simulation would be ethical because of the fear of observation it would engender in the simulated. Instead, I think he argues that an interesting and unintended consequence of a Russian Doll cosmos in which no one knows if they are simulated would be ethical behavior borne of fear of punishment in a simulated afterlife. I agree with you that the "ethics behind such a simulation would be 0," but there's a difference between the ethics behind a simulation and ethical behavior as an unintended emergent property of a system of simulations within simulations. You're right to suggest the parallel to religion, but if we are in fact simulations, we'd have to consider the possibility that our simulators might punish or reward us in a simulated afterlife based on our behavior. It's not a comforting thought, and obviously Bostrom's just playing with ideas in a thought experiment, but I think his point is that a society (not necessarily our society) convinced of its simulated nature would have to consider its simulators' plans.

<blockquote data-quote="stephen dedalus" data-source="post: 104002" data-attributes="member: 3414">While I&#039;ll need to doublecheck, I&#039;m not sure that Bostrum is arguing that running such a simulation would be ethical because of the fear of observation it would engender in the simulated.&nbsp; Instead, I think he argues that an interesting and unintended consequence of a Russian Doll cosmos in which no one knows if they are simulated would be ethical behavior borne of fear of punishment in a simulated afterlife.&nbsp; I agree with you that the &quot;ethics behind such a simulation would be 0,&quot; but there&#039;s a difference between the ethics behind a simulation and ethical behavior as an unintended emergent property of a system of simulations within simulations.&nbsp; You&#039;re right to suggest the parallel to religion, but if we are in fact simulations, we&#039;d have to consider the possibility that our simulators might punish or reward us in a simulated afterlife based on our behavior.&nbsp; It&#039;s not a comforting thought, and obviously Bostrom&#039;s just playing with ideas in a thought experiment, but I think his point is that a society (not necessarily our society) convinced of its simulated nature would have to consider its simulators&#039; plans.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="stephen dedalus, post: 104002, member: 3414"] While I'll need to doublecheck, I'm not sure that Bostrum is arguing that running such a simulation would be ethical because of the fear of observation it would engender in the simulated. Instead, I think he argues that an interesting and unintended consequence of a Russian Doll cosmos in which no one knows if they are simulated would be ethical behavior borne of fear of punishment in a simulated afterlife. I agree with you that the "ethics behind such a simulation would be 0," but there's a difference between the ethics [I]behind[/I] a simulation and ethical behavior as an unintended emergent property of a system of simulations within simulations. You're right to suggest the parallel to religion, but if we are in fact simulations, we'd have to consider the possibility that our simulators might punish or reward us in a simulated afterlife based on our behavior. It's not a comforting thought, and obviously Bostrom's just playing with ideas in a thought experiment, but I think his point is that a society (not necessarily our society) convinced of its simulated nature would have to consider its simulators' plans. [/QUOTE]

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