Do we live in a simulation? The problem with this mind-bending hypothesis.

[Admin]

Does the simulation hypothesis offer a compelling argument, or is it just interesting food for thought? Let's find out.

Do we live in a simulation? The problem with this mind-bending hypothesis. : Read more

 

[rod]

"The simulation argument is the latest in a long tradition of philosophical thinking that questions the ultimate nature of the reality we experience. Through the ages, philosophers have wondered if our reality is the construct of a malicious demon, or if we live inside of someone else's dream. It's the ultimate form of skepticism and is useful to remind ourselves that there are limits to the empirical study of nature."

An interesting article here. If I cannot know whether the Earth is round or flat, or if the Sun is revolving around the Earth or the Earth revolves around the Sun, defining reality could be a problem

 

[Argon0]

One of the problems with these arguments is that the assumption that you need to simulate the entire universe is flawed. All you need to do is simulate me.... All the inputs that go/went into my brain (or whoever), which must be limited. If you can simulate one 'conciousness' in a 'tin' you can simulate an uncountable number (over time, in the future, now(?)), And you needn't do a full life... All you need to simulate is NOW and the memories which make up NOW.

So, if you believe this is possible, and that it is very likely to happen, the likelihood is that you, now, are a simulation, and that I don't exist...

 

[rod]

Well, this morning I was doing some solar observing. Here is a log entry for this morning observations. [Observed 0930-1030 EST/1430-1530 UT. This morning I observed sunspot active regions AR2934 and AR2933 on the Sun. I used TeleVue 32-mm plossl with safe, glass white light solar filter and Celestron #12 Yellow filter viewing at 31x this morning. Sunspot active regions AR2934 and AR2933 easy to see with plage areas visible too. The scale size shown at sohowwww.nascom.nasa.gov/sunspot, indicates AR2934 is about earth size on the Sun. I used my 90-mm refractor telescope. Weather clear, temperature -6C winds 340/knots. Ref image - https://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/synoptic/sunspots_earth/mdi_sunspots_1024.jpg.

The Earth-Sun distance ~ 0.98416 AU and the Sun's angular size ~ 32.5 arcminutes. The telescope true FOV at 31x ~ 96 arcminutes angular size. At 31x, my telescope resolved ~ 9.6 arcsecond size on the Sun or about 6852 km diameter. Earth size ~ 18 arcsecond size. As I viewed the Sun and sunspots this morning, the Sun moved across the eyepiece FOV. Is Earth rotating on an axis or is the Sun moving around the Earth? ]

It is interesting to ponder the simulation view of science when making observations of the Sun and active region sunspots reported. Just what I am looking at?

 

[bobsteinke]

Here's an issue that the article doesn't address. How many atoms in the outside universe does it take to make the computing hardware that can store and process the data of one atom in the simulated universe? Seems likely to be more than one. If that's the case then the simulated universe must be smaller than the outside universe. It could take a solar system sized computer to simulate one planet, and a planet sized computer to simulate a continent, etc. The assumption that it must be possible to put more simulated beings in the simulation than "real" beings in the outside universe is not justified.

 

[billslugg]

I believe in a quantum computer a single qubit can represent an infinite number of values. I could be right, I could be wrong or I could be anywhere in between those two values.

 

[unidef]

Your problem is with reality. Reality has friends, realities. And they act human. Sometimes there’s so many realities the observer fails, and time lapses

with time lasping and dissolving in temporary space, it comes as illusion and Delusikn

everything in the universe makes sense in rest state

unidef

written on iOS (platformof choice for scientists)

 

[Mergatroid]

There is a 4th option that was not mentioned. #3 can not be correct if there are no civilizations other than ours.

1. Our descendants (or other intelligent beings in the universe) will never be able to develop the technological ability to faithfully simulate the cosmos.

2. Our descendants (or other intelligent beings in the universe) will develop the technology but choose not to simulate the cosmos.

3. The vast majority of all conscious entities, including you, are living in a simulation.

4. There are no other intelligent species or aliens, and although we may one day simulate the universe, we can't do it right now.