Ancestor simulation
Definition
An ancestor simulation is a detailed recreation of a civilisation’s own past, including conscious inhabitants, run by its technologically mature descendants.
On this site
The Render start slider. If the tape starts in 1900, everything earlier is unrendered backstory.
Role in the model
This is the kind of simulation Bostrom’s argument is about: descendants running their own past. It matters for the computing needed because a simulation of history can start late. The Render start slider shows this directly. Everything before switch-on is backstory, and nobody has to compute it.
Related
In the trees
14 short pages, one per thinker, each with its matching dial. See also the reading list.