‘Maybe our universe isn’t real. Yale Philosopher Nick Bostrum has claimed that we are probably living in a computer simulation.’
Just one of ten great, insanely brilliant theories about the origins of the universe.
And you lot think I make this stuff up…
Now if we find a way to simulate our own universe ( this assumes that our simulator is strong enough to simulate itself, which risks some kind of recursive loop – intriguing sci-fi scenario there; we find a way to simulate our entire universe but because we are in a simulated universe it causes the system to recurse indefinitely, running out of memory stopping time ) then it would be possible that these chains of universes would actually behave as a replicant, like DNA, enabling life to exist made entirely of twisting and self-chained universes.
Although the simulated universe explains a few things (the more people there are the less processor time each one can be given, so it feels like time is moving faster and faster because in a very real sense it is ) I think the recursive problem is one that would prevent it from being correct in the majority of cases. Perhaps I should let that professor fellow know, he could be quite confused otherwise…
I believe it was Freud (perhaps fittingly here considered a crackpot by ‘pure scientists’) who mocked his own method once: “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.” !!
Now I’ve reread it I see he’s not suggesting that the simulation is run up until it matches the complexity of the creating universe but that each “creator” universe runs multiple simulations.
I still think that to model a universe accurately you would need a system whose complexity matches that of the universe doing the modelling.
Or to quote Johnson’s classic put-down to Berkeley’s similar (and actually very clever) client-server model of reality:
*kicks rock* I refute him thus! *limps away*
My favourite universal theory quote comes from a song called ‘Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World’ on the recent ‘Victory for the Comic Muse’ album by the Divine Comedy:
The singer is explaining that he doesn’t understand his girlfriend, at all:
“Now to make matters worse,
She claims the Universe
Is expanding like a balloon.
But baby, if it’s meant to be infinite,
Then where is it expanding to..?”
:)
Yess simulation. In the end it doesnt really matter. We still experience all things. Now if we had the possibility to exit it to the more “real” world, that of course would make quite the difference.
Fermi paradox altered a bit would be easy enough to make the universe simulation not over do itself too much. Limit our ability to travel at possible interstellar speeds, doesnt need to react with us in different places. Weee.
Interesting read nontheless!