DNA Proves Existence of a Designer

[T0 Th3 M4X]

Good explanation about the VR.  I would have to say I agree there.  

Thank you

Dreams are tricky because they exist as a real experience.  Some say they can be predictors, and sometimes they are an extension of something else.  I actually had two weird dreams Thursday night.  They were similar but still different.  I had to take one of the critters to the vet in the morning, and both dreams involved going to the vet.  In the latter dream, somehow I managed to get to the vet, but I didn't have the cat with me (I have two hounds and two Siamese cats).  Anyway, I think the dream might have been an extension of reality. When I have to wake up in the morning at a certain time, I can be fanatical about making sure it happens, so maybe the dream was an extension of that concern (just something to ponder).

I think the general consensus is that dreams are mostly our brains sorting out the things that we experienced recently. Of course, your concerns about potential futures are also experiences that your brain needs to sort through, so those count.

With the Matrix. I would say it's probably real to the people within it, but those on the outside have a greater understanding of that reality.  

So the reality within the Matrix is real to the people in it, but not real in the more absolute sense, huh?
Are we in a Matrix? Or are we on the top level with free access to the whole cosmos and the basic reality? Who knows?... who can know?

But then is raises a lot of questions about things like what is preferable for society or even when regulating drugs.  If the drug hides the pain, is the pain still there?  Conditionally yes, but  conceptually no.   But each holds weight in its own context.

Conditionally and conceptually...

If the pain is not felt, it is not there.
However, the underlying cause for the pain is still there, as the painkillers only serve to block the pain signals, either at the origin, or during transmission, or at the brain.

And should society base itself on what feels good or on what is the best description available of reality?

I agree about the shark. It wasn't real, but my reactions at times was real.  From there you could even make an argument for the importance of randomness.  If the experience is the same 100 percent of the time, the impact will diminish.  If I know when the shark is about to jump at me, then it can't serve its intended purpose.

Hmmm.... I wouldn't say that has to do with randomness... more with learning.

Now picture this, if you were to have the very same experience, but without any knowledge of a prior equal experience... actually, without any other experience, were you presented the same VR world, the same events, given each and every time the very same past experiences, would you ever react differently? (I know this is an impossible scenario, it's a thought exercise)

Your closing statement was spot on.  We are all products of our upbringing.  We can always break from certain aspects, but we still carry it with us.

I think that was kinda the point of the Matrix. Mesh a lot of things together to give a different perception of reality. Some of it is also similar to the Infinity Wars movie. You have one being's view on reality becoming the determining factor for everybody else.  In his mind, maybe he's doing a good thing. Eliminate half the population and once again the resources in the universe become sufficient.  It's random, so he determines it to be fair. Of course maybe the will to live with limited resources supersedes his view, so there has to be an opposition. Both movies have a moral dilemma that has to be dealt with, with the heroes in both choosing the reality that is natural rather than the one determined (Live in the real world outside the Matrix + Allow the world to exist as-is, even though the conditions could be made better by reducing the population).