What do atheists think about having your brain in a vat?
Posted on: September 13, 2009 - 3:12pm
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What do atheists think about having your brain in a vat?
Imagine in the distant future the possibility of having your brain removed and placed in a life sustaining vat of pleasure inducing chemicals. Imagine that each brain can create a tailor made reality. An atheist can have his/her scientifically based supernatural-free world. The fundies can have their irrational suicide bombing flying spaghetti monster worlds. Everyone would be happy each in his/her own self contained pleasure filled universe. Or would you refuse The Matrix and be content in the "real world" of truth? But is the real world simply a giant vat housing all brains that gives pain and pleasure? And can anyone make this gigantic vat perfect?
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Prove that you are not already in a vat...
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I can make my own reality and live forever in the Holodeck? Sign me up!
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism
I would probably want to see the "real" reality as much as possible.
Call it masochism if you like. I have a never ending desire for knowing more, and limiting myself to only my own creations deprives me of the exploration I feel I need. I wouldn't be able to stop yearning for knowledge to understand more about the world around me.
I suppose this is my meaning to life. So going against that, would deprive me of the meaning that I have identified for myself.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
Me, I'm a little pissed that I can't say a magic chant and make whatever I want to happen... happen.
I'd take the holodeck.
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism
Aaaaagggghhhhhh! Oh the gas and constipation!!! Who the fuck is running my vat!!
Why do you think it would be chemicals? Wouldn't it need to be electrodes and magnetic fields controlled by a computer that create the neural firing patterns that produce the pleasure. Chemicals(i.e. dope, dopamine) can be an aid in enabling greater neural activity, but wouldn't this need to be directed by a computer to be truly effective? Hence the needs for electronic stimulation.
How does this bring us pleasure? Seems like if pleasure came in the form of virtual reality, it would be a fantasy world. Maybe virtual reality would advance to where you could have passionate sex with the Victoria's Secret models or you could catch the game winning touchdown in the Super Bowl or some version of heaven? I don't think the real world could compare.
But religion is an addictive drug. If I still got the same high that I once did with religion, I'd still be religious. But I have a brain that gets bored and burned out and would rather understand than live in delusion. So maybe this technology would actually enhance their ability to get high from delusion.
Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state represents a complete defeat for the civilized world, while a totally voluntary society represents its ultimate success. --Mark Skousen
I'm sorry to ask stupid questions, but wasn't the Matrix all about that an ideal world didn't work, so the Architect created a shitty world to keep people in it?
Beings who deserve worship don't demand it. Beings who demand worship don't deserve it.
Brains in vats already exist, name me one apologist that actually uses their brain.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
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I also choose holodeck. I must be able to escape my escapism, else the point is lost.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
EXC,
Indeed I did not go into details of the vat medium. It would most certainly have to be a computer with electrodes attached to key areas of the cerebrum. Atheists are pleasure seeking like everyone else ie. the following:
And an addition to her quote would be "And my sex starved girlfriends and I at the sorority house can't wait to get you in the hot tub"
Oh!!! My apologies to the intelligent gorgeous sexy atheist gals in the real world who read Scientific American. It would be sexist to assume otherwise. Cheers to Kelly! I hope she'll return to this forum.
The Matrix wouldn't be shitty if you were the Architect of your world.
It's a nice fantasy. But scientists have done experiments with rats that show otherwise. They hooked up electrodes to the nucleus accumbens(pleasure center) of the rats' brain. The rats could turn on the pleasure stimulation by pressing a lever. The rats would prefer the direct stimulation over sex, food, water, sleep, etc... The rats would keep pushing the lever until they died from exhaustion.
So I think what we'd see is theists giving up their religion to push the button. Atheists giving up godless sex and rational thinking just to push the button. No virtual reality may be needed. We already see drug addicts pretty much do the same thing to get their fix.
Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state represents a complete defeat for the civilized world, while a totally voluntary society represents its ultimate success. --Mark Skousen
Because virtual reality software would work the same a current software and Microsoft would control it's operation.
This is how virtual reality would work: You would be about to experience some pleasurable experience like sex in the hot tub, catching the Super Bowl Pass, eating a delicious meal, going on stage as the lead singer for KISS. Then a message would pop up:
"This is the demo mode. This experience is only available in the full version. Would you like to purchase the upgrade now?"
Since we don't see this message in normal life, we can be assured that we are not in a vat or a least Microsoft does not control it yet.
Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state represents a complete defeat for the civilized world, while a totally voluntary society represents its ultimate success. --Mark Skousen
Sweet, sign me up.
Although, making it sound like my life would be totally happy if theists were not around is not something I would ever say. People would still be people, some would be good, some would suck. Secularism != utopia.
Everything makes more sense now that I've stopped believing.
This of course would assume there was a need to charge for content. If, ala the Matrix, our mere presence in the vat generated sufficient income, then continuing the fantasy would be a higher priority than asking for more money.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
I'd only choose it if it was only way to live forever, else I'd prefer to live right here.
But a brain cant feel anything.
However, if an animal is sustained in a perpetual state of pleasure, after a short period of time it would be normal and the sensation of pleasure will dissipate. The chemicals will constantly need to be increased to the point where they will do nothing at all.
I like the holodeck idea
People who think there is something they refer to as god don't ask enough questions.
Hook me up to a super computer and the Internet and I will be happy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj5CmCJxcM0
"Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions. Ideas must be distinct before reason can act upon them; and no man ever had a distinct idea of the trinity. ..." -- Thomas Jefferson