“In the case of ancestor simulations, upon deciding that we are simulated, we acknowledge that there is no experiment that we can do to prove that we are not. The hypothesis is unfalsifiable. Bostrom himself points out that upon being found out by one of its resident minds, the simulation can be instantly edited or rewound.”

…brain idea. We already talked about Sean Carroll's argument against concluding that we are Boltzmann brains. As soon as we do so, we must also conclude that we probably don't have the capacity to have carried out that line of reasoning in the first place. A Boltzmann brain is as delusional about the consistency of its mental faculties as it is about its existence before that instant. Similarly, in the case of ancestor simulations, upon deciding that we are simulated, we acknowledge that there is no experiment that we can do to prove that we are not. The hypothesis is unfalsifiable. Bostrom himself points out that upon being found out by one of its resident minds, the simulation can be instantly edited or rewound. In fact, this editability is a necessity. These simulations can only cover a tiny fraction of the universe, so they are prone to inconsistencies. It's far more computationally economical to edit out the discovery of these inconsistencies than it is to simulate enough of the universe so that inconsistencies don't happen. Another big issue is just the potential for spectacular overreach in using…