Descartes’ demon
Definition
Descartes’ demon is the all-powerful deceiver Descartes imagined in 1641, who systematically fakes all your experience. He used it to find out what, if anything, survives radical doubt.
On this site
The operator on a break, in the Slot dial, is a weaker version of the demon on purpose.
Role in the model
Descartes’ deceiver is an early simulation hypothesis, four centuries before the hardware. The operator on a break in the Slot dial is a weaker version of the same figure. The thinker page lays out the argument.
Related
In the trees
14 short pages, one per thinker, each with its matching dial. See also the reading list.