I took a three part philosophy / humanities class two years ago. One of the more interesting ideas that came up involved a shed that was transformed into a boat, and then back into a shed.
The same shed. Well, identical, in any case. All of the same pieces were used; nothing was added, nothing was removed. The real crux of the issue was whether it was the same shed. Was it?
I’ve been working on an article for a few weeks now that I intend on posting here, which investigates some loosely related questions. I’m finding more and more, that their answers may hinge on how you interpret that shed.
In fact, life may hinge on how you interpret that boat, I mean… shed. Especially now, today, in this world of digital everything. Digital creations can cost thousands of dollars, Internet pornography is a huge money maker, digital scent machines have existed for years… and virtual reality seems the likely outcome of it all.
A few days ago I was working on a problem that brought into question the countability of all computer programs. Since they are merely represented as finite length strings of binary digits, the result is that they are countable. Something you probably already knew, is that all programs have to fit somewhere. So, they are not infinite either. So now, you see, anything digital must not have unlimited potential.
Then, can digital reality ever replace real reality? If it can, what does that mean for you, or me? If it can mimic it perfectly… will it be the same? [Gasp! digital job?!] And if it was, would it be useful?
Who you are today, who you’ll be tomorrow, and what it means to “be” in the first place – all keep bringing me back to: shedboatshed. Whatever that is.