MU-7: Brains in Vats
(This blog will not appear to have any connection to maths and make you wonder about the title. So let me clarify at the start: it’s meant as a build-up to the next blog that will make the connection clear). Have you heard of the “brain in a vat” thought experiment? Here’s how it goes: imagine that you are not who/what you think you are; instead you are just a brain hooked up into electrodes that can perfectly simulate the experiences of what you think is the outside world. The kicker with this thought experiment? You can neither prove nor disprove that it is true! And since you can’t disprove it, it follows that it is entirely possible that nothing about your perception of “reality” is true either! I don’t know if this is in any way similar to the Hindu concept of maya …but it does sound similar to some extent. I am in that camp which feels that just because something cannot be disproven doesn’t make it true. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. And practically speaking, I wonde...