Simulation hypothesis

Posthuman civilisation

Definition

A posthuman civilisation is one whose technology is far beyond ours today. In particular, it can turn astronomical amounts of matter into computing.

On this site

The machine ladder ends in a universe-scale computer. That’s what “posthuman” has to mean for the biggest scenarios.

Role in the model

The machine ladder climbs from a phone to a computer the size of the universe. Every rung past “every computer on Earth” belongs to a civilisation that doesn’t exist yet. When a scenario lands on a Jupiter brain, this term names who would own it.

Bostrom’s trilemma Lloyd’s bound

In the trees

Superintelligence · Technology Star-scale computer · Technology Post-biological civilisation · Becoming synthetic

The people behind the terms

14 short pages, one per thinker, each with its matching dial. See also the reading list.

Plato’s cave Zhuangzi’s butterfly Vasubandhu’s dream Shankara’s māyā al-Ghazali’s doubt Ibn Arabi’s imagination Calderón’s life is a dream Descartes’ demon Berkeley’s perceiver Borges’ circular ruins Nozick’s experience machine Putnam’s brain in a vat Bostrom’s trilemma Chalmers: virtual worlds are real