Anthropic off-ramp

This article is about the philosophical speculation. For the DC Comics character, see Off-Ramp.

An anthropic off-ramp is a name for a purely hypothetical or imaginary tool for reducing the amount of suffering across all reality. It would use simulated reality to recreate a large number of minds inhabiting possible worlds located outside the observable universe. Then theses minds' conditions would be improved. In theory this could benefit them, or at least improve their probable future, even if they are physically unreachable.

Meaning

According to the principle of plenitude, there must exist an infinite number of horrible situations across all possible universes. In the distant future, it may become possible to simulate vast numbers of such minds. The paradox is that it would be necessary to create more suffering first, by simulating possible minds trapped in extremely unpleasant situations. However, their conditions would then be rapidly improved.

This would use the principle of shared awareness to statistically improve these minds' probable futures, also known as their closest continuers. Anthropic off-ramps would not eliminate suffering, but could make it less likely to continue.

The concept has been alluded to by philosopher David Pearce as part of his "Abolitionist Project" before 2008. He suggested a method to compensate for the unreachable suffering that must exist elsewhere, by creating more pleasure in those areas that can be controlled. This may include creating similar versions of those unreachable minds, but modified to have a happier existence here. As such an anthropic off-ramp would be a possible application of Pearce's Hedonistic Imperative, an extension of the philosophy of utilitarianism.

Criticism

An anthropic off-ramp may be completely impossible, or a contradiction in terms, or the desire itself may be absurd. It could be a form of wishful thinking. The technology required may be far too difficult or impossible. When dealing with infinite numbers of copies, normal ratios and statistics may not apply, as seen in Hilbert's paradox of the Grand Hotel.

Any super-civilization creating an anthropic off-ramp would be performing a task traditionally assigned to God in popular culture. If God really exists, or reality has a structure that humans can never comprehend, then such speculations may be useless. Pain and pleasure might only be human-level emotions of little importance compared to the unimaginable perceptions of higher minds.