A thought experiment

[Patrick]

What if God arranged the following experience for you. Suppose a "video" were played in your mind of everything everyone who ever lived saw, heard, or otherwise sensed. You knew what the video was, but you didn't know God had "played" it for you. The "video" would delete all occurences of violence in which you (as other people) were the victim or the perpoetrator, and also all occurences of physical discomfort. Because He is God, He can make the video play all the way through for you in one second. At the end of the second, what state would you be in? Insane? Semi-infinitely wise? Or what? How would you act or be thereafter? Would you be able to write down the Ultimate Truth?

 

[DanishDynamite]

There is no god.

Next question?

 

[evildave]

Sounds like the 'Total Perspective Vortex', to me.

Why not simply declare 'It happens when you die!'?

Then use it as proof there is only one soul, and that you're god, but you forgot.

There's something involving 'time' that makes this happen. You live one life after the other, and 'wrap around' past the end of time to live as other things.

 

[DanishDynamite]

Sounds like the 'Total Perspective Vortex', to me.

And we all know what happened to anyone subjected to the TPV (the real TPV, that is).

 

[evildave]

They, uh, became a Bush supporter?

 

[Iacchus]

What if God arranged the following experience for you. Suppose a "video" were played in your mind of everything everyone who ever lived saw, heard, or otherwise sensed. You knew what the video was, but you didn't know God had "played" it for you. The "video" would delete all occurences of violence in which you (as other people) were the victim or the perpoetrator, and also all occurences of physical discomfort. Because He is God, He can make the video play all the way through for you in one second. At the end of the second, what state would you be in? Insane? Semi-infinitely wise? Or what? How would you act or be thereafter? Would you be able to write down the Ultimate Truth?

I suspect it all depends on whether it can be etched in one's memory at that rate. And even if it could, and these things were received as a life-long's experience, then you probably would have effectively reprogrammed your brain. However, by tossing out all the bad or, at least not allowing you access to it, then you'd probably come across as terribly naive or, not grounded in who you are. Of course if it doesn't involve rewriting your memory, it would probably feel like you just got through watching some dumb movie, like It's a Wonderful Life. Oh well, so much for "positive stinking," right?

 

[Piscivore]

What if God arranged the following experience for you. Suppose a "video" were played in your mind of everything everyone who ever lived saw, heard, or otherwise sensed. You knew what the video was, but you didn't know God had "played" it for you. The "video" would delete all occurences of violence in which you (as other people) were the victim or the perpoetrator, and also all occurences of physical discomfort. Because He is God, He can make the video play all the way through for you in one second. At the end of the second, what state would you be in?

Why leave out the violence and discomfort? Wouldn't that leave you fundamentally underinformed?

 

[Marquis de Carabas]

Re: Re: A thought experiment

Why leave out the violence and discomfort? Wouldn't that leave you fundamentally underinformed?

Don't most gods leave people that way?

 

[TragicMonkey]

I'm not entirely clear on the scenario--this video is of all the life experiences of each and every person who's ever lived? In which case you'd only have the collective experience of all humanity, which does not encompass the afterlife and the existence of God, only assertions of the afterlife and the existence of God.

You would get to view a lot of sex acts, though. All of them, in fact. Would that make it worth sitting through every company meeting for every company in the history of the world, multiple times through multiple perspectives? Possibly...

 

[Piscivore]

You would get to view a lot of sex acts, though. All of them, in fact. Would that make it worth sitting through every company meeting for every company in the history of the world, multiple times through multiple perspectives? Possibly...

I dunno, there are a lot of unattractive people out there, I'm not sure I want to see them have sex. Especially first hand (Heh, I'm reminded of Brainstorm at this point).

Think about it- For every time you got to "experience" sex with someone hot like Natalie Portman, you'd have to suffer through a Rosanne. Ugh.

I'm definitely voting "psychotic" for this experiment.

 

[TragicMonkey]

Think about it- For every time you got to "experience" sex with someone hot like Natalie Portman, you'd have to suffer through a Rosanne. Ugh.

But on the plus side, you'd get to watch Posh and Becks. People would pay good money for that.

 

[Iacchus]

I'm not entirely clear on the scenario--this video is of all the life experiences of each and every person who's ever lived? In which case you'd only have the collective experience of all humanity, which does not encompass the afterlife and the existence of God, only assertions of the afterlife and the existence of God.

Oh, I missed that part. I thought it was referring to one's own personal life. Of course if that were the case, it would probably evaporate your brain.

 

[TragicMonkey]

Oh, I missed that part. I thought it was referring to one's own personal life. Of course if that were the case, it would probably evaporate your brain.

My life wouldn't. It would just bore me to tears.

 

[Beerina]

Originally posted by TragicMonkey You would get to view a lot of sex acts, though. All of them, in fact.

Now you're talkin'!

Every single one, no matter how perverted, as long as its consentual. And you experience it from the joyful perspective of the participants, not from the view of a voyeur, who might find some of them repulsive.

I suppose sex with Roseanne might be hot from Tom Arnold's perspective, but then again, he might just have been a gold digger, or at least just loving her in a non-sexual way. So it could be a chore. But then again, you get her viewpoint, too, so that might be hot.

Imagine every sordid tale from old-school Donahue to Jerry Springer, but seen from the butterfly-stomached perspective of the participants.

Would that make it worth sitting through every company meeting for every company in the history of the world, multiple times through multiple perspectives? Possibly... [/B]

That would be rough. Boring meetings (with subject matter not in your field, of no interest to you, and on a full tummy) are excruciating. I was once in a 3-day one talking about computer chips (at the electrical engineer level, and I am pure software) that stands out in my mind as a hellish experience fully on the level of when I broke my arm at age 6. This is not hyperbole. Having to choose to relive each one, I'd give it 40/60 in favor of not reliving the broken arm. I'd definitely throw my back out again for 3 days in bed in horrific pain rather than 3 days in that meeting.

 

[Dorian Gray]

Obviously Patrick meant that he was experimenting with thought. Ah, there's a first time for everything, I guess.