Do we live in a computer simulation? researchers say idea can be tested!

What is reality at all ?
There have been several researches around the world on different levels about , that we here on earth living in a kind simulation but what kind of simulation to me is not clear? Here we have this French physicist Alain Aspect
Who performed what may turn out to be one of the most important experiments of the 20th century namely his team discovered that under certain circumstances subatomic particles such as electrons are able to instantaneously communicate with each other regardless of the distance separating them.

Then this University of London physicist David Bohm, says Aspect's findings imply that objective reality does not exist, that despite its apparent solidity the universe is at heart a phantasm, a gigantic and splendidly detailed hologram.
This all happened around 1982



Then the movie the matrix came out that also was based on the believes that man was living some kind of simulation. The movie was inspired by the draws from and makes reference to numerous cinematic and literary works, and concepts from mythology, religion and philosophy. And from René Descartes (I think, therefore I am)
Coincidence that this movie came out around 1999?



Nick Bostrom, Professor in the Faculty of Philosophy at Oxford University and founding Director of the Future of Humanity Institute and of the Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology within the Oxford Martin School presented his so-called simulation argument some years ago, and the theory is still widely debated among many scientists.

A decade ago, a British philosopher put forth the notion that the universe we live in might in fact be a computer simulation run by our descendants. While that seems far-fetched, perhaps even incomprehensible, a team of physicists at the University of Washington has come up with a potential test to see if the idea holds water.

The concept that current humanity could possibly be living in a computer simulation comes from a 2003 paper published in Philosophical Quarterly by Nick Bostrom, a philosophy professor at the University of Oxford.
In the paper, he argued that at least one of three possibilities is true:

• The human species is likely to go extinct before reaching a “posthuman” stage.

• Any posthuman civilization is very unlikely to run a significant number of simulations of its evolutionary history.

• We are almost certainly living in a computer simulation.

He also held that “the belief that there is a significant chance that we will one day become posthumans who run ancestor simulations is false, unless we are currently living in a simulation.”

But now this Martin J savage is going to preform this test that could rule out every theory around this artificial life we supposed to live by numerous scientists that finds the theory plausible.

If such a concept turned out to be reality, it would raise other possibilities as well. For example, Davoudi suggests that if our universe is a simulation, then those running it could be running other simulations as well, essentially creating other universes parallel to our own. “Then the question is, ‘Can you communicate with those other universes if they are running on the same platform?’” she said.

I’m not an expert on this topic but I find merely intriguing to know more about this, and certainly I want to know what the truth around this subject is?

If this tests are going to be positive and we are simulated /or projected souls in shimmering theatrical light ? raises one of many question … were does conscience fit in?, who’s god ?, can we all be Neo? Who the hell made the Sims? And thousands more…
If not … well those questions would be still alive after all..

Peace,

and may the light be with you,

if not they have shut down the projector!

University of Washington

reply to post by 0bserver1


I am not sure I believe it or not but I will add this video as my contribution to your thread.



I thought this video was interesting.

At about 3 minutes 50 seconds is the interesting part.

reply to post by DrumsRfun


I also find it hard to believe but it seems that many studies point towards it ..But wow even earlier than 1983 great video

Frankly -- to my way of thinking, it's the only explanation that makes sense.

Kudos to Drums for posting that PKD video. He is my favorite author of all time, and I had never seen that video.

Great thread, S+F.

I think the term "computer simulation" is misleading.

Hasnt it already been proven that nothing exists without something to observe it?

I know that if you look at things small enough basically nothing exists, something about the distance between atoms being relatively further from each other than stars in the galaxy so it only our conciousness that gives things shape and form.

We live in exciting times indeed

S&F

reply to post by IkNOwSTuff


But what would happen when we die, are we then becoming the ghost behind this machine we are living in..the players like in total recall kind of illusion?

Good post, love this subject.

I don't understand Bostrom's second point, never have.

"• Any posthuman civilization is very unlikely to run a significant number of simulations of its evolutionary history."

Isn't that like saying there would be no reason for countless humans to play the same video game? Ex: Call of Duty instances running concurrently.

What is his justification for this point? My best guess is that he thinks a leading sim would be rare like our leading supercomputers at any given time. However, over time (blip in cosmic time, so negligible time wrt the theory), every computing task that was once special/expensive becomes common.

reply to post by AkumaStreak


I think he is saying that one of these three must be true:

1) We never make it far enough to run realistic historic simulations of our universe.

2) We make it that far, but we never run them for some reason.

3) We make it that far, and run them all the time, and we are probably living in one of those right now.

Given our current fascination with them (World of Warcraft / TSW / et al) I am going to go with either (1) or (2), personally.

reply to post by AkumaStreak


Maybe parallel computer simulated universes? .... Like multitasking the galaxy ? or copy and paste planets in another universe?

reply to post by 0bserver1


Your title says that the idea can be tested, but I didn't see any tests described in the post, did I miss something?

I remember reading about one possible test some years ago how it might be possible to test element's positions in high accuracy and see if they set along a grid. This came from the assumption that simulation may have limited accuracy (positions are rounded to nearest grid-point).

reply to post by 0bserver1


The character that appears to be you is not you. You are what is not appearing. You are sat in an armchair watching the character moving through life.
What is seen and heard is just a movie but what you really are never moves.
When you are in a car that is moving, are you moving? Or is the scenery moving?

Notice, that in your experience, you never move. Only the scenery moves.

reply to post by redbore


Because they haven't tested it yet

reply to post by 0bserver1


Well what is the test? Where's the info regarding the test? Come on now.

This is one of my favorite hypotheses, I don't think it's that far from the truth.

reply to post by Itisnowagain


I'm touched by your moves..

Originally posted by 0bserver1
reply to post by redbore

 

Because they haven't tested it yet

So apparently you quoted few first pharagraphs of an article and those pharagraphs don't explain the tests at all. You linked to the actual article through a persons name (I wouldn't think to click that to find out the test).

So here is the link to the article that describes the test that they may be able to do in the future. It is based on simulating the universe and monitoring how it is compared to ours.

Recall Star Trek TNG episode "Cause and Effect". Data, after several iterations of the crew being stuck in a time loop, keeps seeing the number "3", which was "programmed" into future iterations by the bridge crew to help them break out of the loop on a successive iteration.

Now recall Tesla and his obsession with the number "3". Strangely, I am also haunted by the number "3" and I also see deja vu as an iteration of a time loop as described in Dick's video above.

The universe is trying to tell us something and only a few people pick up on it.

I am coming to believe this myself. I find it very freeing. The thought that if life is not real, then neither is death and it means there is no negative experience, only experiences. This removes all fear from your life and allows you to just strive for whatever experiences you wish to have wile you are in this simulated game of life. I have recently read the book "The Devine Matrix". I highly recommend it.

reply to post by redbore


To clear things up have placed the link below too..

reply to post by 0bserver1


When playing a computer game you will notice that the scenery appears as you go.
Can you be sure there is anything outside of your experience? Is there anything else but this that is now present?
You can know nothing until it appears. But the mind imagines it can. The mind imagines other times and other places but in reality there is only what is appearing here and now.