Takeaways from Don Hoffman's "Case Against Reality"👇:
An organism that sees reality as it truly is, is never more fit than an organism of equal complexity that sees none of reality and is just attuned to fitness payoffs.
In other words, seeing the truth will make you extinct.
An organism that sees reality as it truly is, is never more fit than an organism of equal complexity that sees none of reality and is just attuned to fitness payoffs.
In other words, seeing the truth will make you extinct.
Consider the Desktop computer interface as an analogy
If you’re writing email and the icon for email is red & rectangular, that doesn’t mean the email itself in your computer is red & rectangular.
It's an interface.
If you’re writing email and the icon for email is red & rectangular, that doesn’t mean the email itself in your computer is red & rectangular.
It's an interface.
it's not meant to show you the truth (the resistors & circuits & software—complicated stuff!)
The interface is there to hide the truth and give you eye candy to let you control that reality even though you’re utterly ignorant to the contents of that reality.
The interface is there to hide the truth and give you eye candy to let you control that reality even though you’re utterly ignorant to the contents of that reality.
That’s what evolution has done - it’s given us an interface to interact w/ reality and do what we need to do even though where’re ignorant as to the nature of the reality
Biggest implications?
Maybe space and time aren’t objective reality — just virtual reality symbols.
Biggest implications?
Maybe space and time aren’t objective reality — just virtual reality symbols.
In other words, we're already wearing virtual reality head sets, we just don't know it yet.
If Don's theories are true, there could be another reality unlike anything we’re perceiving
Physicists are saying space time is doomed, but don’t know what to put in its place
If Don's theories are true, there could be another reality unlike anything we’re perceiving
Physicists are saying space time is doomed, but don’t know what to put in its place
Virtual Reality as we know it isn't good enough to match current reality in terms of immersiveness, but once it is, after we take off physical headsets, we might more quickly realize that "real life" involves a headset too.
Other implications? Seeing altruism is a new lens.
Other implications? Seeing altruism is a new lens.
Consider freeloaders & cooperators.
If everyone's a freeloader, it’s unfit to be freeloader
So much of our emotions in social situations come from reciprocity — if you cheat I get angry and need to punish you — it seems the logic of emotions is based on cooperating v defecting
If everyone's a freeloader, it’s unfit to be freeloader
So much of our emotions in social situations come from reciprocity — if you cheat I get angry and need to punish you — it seems the logic of emotions is based on cooperating v defecting
What it predicts is an evolutionary arms race
If I’m a freeloader — if I can lie to you I can succeed.
But if all free loaders succeed in lying, they overwhelm the population
Loafers became better at deceiving
Rest of us became better at detecting deception
And so on
If I’m a freeloader — if I can lie to you I can succeed.
But if all free loaders succeed in lying, they overwhelm the population
Loafers became better at deceiving
Rest of us became better at detecting deception
And so on
Who’s best deceiver? The person who doesn’t even know they’re deceiving
If you truly believe your lie, you won’t betray it
So not only are there selection pressures to deceive others, but also to deceive yourself
Which is why we don’t know our own motives
Explains sociopathy?
If you truly believe your lie, you won’t betray it
So not only are there selection pressures to deceive others, but also to deceive yourself
Which is why we don’t know our own motives
Explains sociopathy?
