In a sense, this is peak "degrowth". People having very enjoyable and productive lives while using very few physical resources.

In a sense, this is peak "degrowth". People having very enjoyable and productive lives while using very few physical resources.

https://twitter.com/haig98/status/1753839916948009316

The Great Filter theory, specifically what is called the Upper Income Trap -- once a civilization reaches a certain standard of living, approximately that of present day upper-middle-class Westerners, it stops reproducing and then dies out.

Almost a solution to the Fermi Paradox, except it’s the Virtual Reality Trap

Almost a solution to the Fermi Paradox, except it’s the Virtual Reality Trap

https://warpcast.com/pmarca/0x9422843d

Skeptical optimist, prediction market enjoyer

My background is in physics, so I want to offer a potential counter argument via statistical/thermodynamic  principles. If the proliferation of VR/AR increase entropy at a rate faster than a lack thereof, both civilization and VR/AR will persist. If not, then VR/AR will fade and trend towards thermo equilibrium.

I see the point you're trying to make but I don't think it applies here, the law that entropy in the universe increases doesn't mean that every process always chooses the path that raises entropy the fastest

No, not on a local scale, on a global scale. You see, life itself is evidence that, locally, entropy can decrease. Moreover, it only does this because life is extraordinarily efficient at increasing global entropy, and therefore the system as a whole tends towards higher entropy faster.