Computational theory is the study of calculations. Important questions are: what can be computed? How quickly can it be computed? What requirements or abilities must a computer have?
2
votes
3answers
137 views
Succinct argument for the fundamental role of binary digits as information units
I will clear up the context of this question so that the potential answers can be effectively targeted towards what I'm looking for.
Information (at least in the non-semantic, canonical sense of the ...
1
vote
3answers
171 views
Is reincarnation possible for a concious computer?
The physical substance of a computer can deteriorate and eventually stop functioning, but the immaterial program & its state can be transferred to
another computer. Its conciousness is effectively ...
4
votes
6answers
533 views
How to understand numbers that become really large?
If we begin with a notion of number N that we denote F(N) as a function of time, can a decidable procedure exist on definability of the growth of numbers? Inspired by Tipler's Omega point and ...
3
votes
4answers
261 views
To be or not be—what would a conscious computer decide?
The Prometheus myth can be interpreted as consciousness being a burden. Camus used the myth of Sisyphus to debate the same issue. It is the theme of a famous speech from Hamlet. Heidegger talks of ...
13
votes
1answer
169 views
Computational ethics and a robot's ability to reason about morality from a consequentialist perspective
Gert-Jan C. Lokhorst has written a paper on "computational metaethics" (Computational Meta-Ethics: Towards the Meta-Ethical Robot), which explores the ability of formal systems (i.e. computers/robots) ...
2
votes
1answer
142 views
Problem of induction without i.i.d
In this paper of Aaronson's, a proof is given of Occam's razor by appealing to PAC learning. My understanding of Valiant's bounds for PAC learners is that it requires i.i.d.
This is often a ...
4
votes
0answers
121 views
What role does “counting histories” play in Deutsch's critique of the “simulation argument”?
In his book The Beginning of Infinity, David Deutsch argues that there is a problematic assumption behind the simulation argument that "virtually all instances of us are in ... simulations and not in ...
7
votes
3answers
423 views
What is the best scientific argumentation against the Dust Theory?
The "Dust Theory", by Greg Egan, states that...
... there is no difference, even in principle, between
physics and mathematics, and that all mathematically possible
structures exist, among ...
16
votes
5answers
813 views
Is the universe isomorphic to a universal turing machine?
I often think about problems that require an understanding of the very essence of computation and its inherent limitations. So, my questions are as followed:
Is the universe isomorphic to a ...
