Sense and Goodness Without God

by Richard C. Carrier

The virtual reality presented to him in the simulator corresponds to a real universe. In fact, he could fly a real airplane connected to the simulator, without ever looking out of a real window. This is basically just what a brain does. Simple brains, like those in worms, only perform simple calculations in real-time (“move toward light”), but as brains evolved in complexity they developed the ability to simulate reality altogether. Cats, for instance, dream of hunting prey, and all indications are that they probably don’t know they are dreaming. For instance, when the brain-functions that cut off muscular motion during sleep are numbed, dreaming cats actually move about a cage, stalking imaginary creatures. Thus, the cat’s dream probably presents itself as a wholly “veridical” experience: the cat actually sees, hears, smells imaginary prey, and reacts accordingly.

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