Jump to content
Required Reading for any Longhorn ×

Is Reality a Simulation?

Guest

By Guest
in Daily Texan

 Share

Is Reality a Simulation?  

65 members have voted

  1. 1. Is reality a simulation?

    • Yes
      16
    • No
      49

Recommended Posts

Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted

This topic came up in another thread.  The idea that our reality is a computer simulation seems to be gaining in popularity, and at least a few posters here believe it is true.

Here are the arguments for and against it, as I understand them:

Proponents

  1. Strange things seem to be happening in the world and this is the best explanation for all the strangeness.
  2. The hypothesis involves computers and sounds sciencey. 
  3. The matrix was a pretty cool movie.

Opponents

  1. The simulation hypothesis does not provide a falsifiable prediction, therefore it is not science.
  2. This is just a rehashed version of centuries old philosophical skepticism ideas like the dream argument, evil demon problem, brain in a vat, etc.
  3. From a metaphysical perspective it is an almost exact duplication of polytheism and various other ancient mythologies, with gods replaced with programmers. 
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted
26 minutes ago, Goredho said:

No, but I’m pretty sure you are a goddamn NPC.

This is either a compliment or an insult depending on whether you are a simulation theorist or not.

 

12 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

What the fuck does this question even mean?

It has to do with the nature of our reality.  Specifically, whether it is a simulation or not:

https://builtin.com/hardware/simulation-theory

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/confirmed-we-live-in-a-simulation/

https://academic.oup.com/pq/article-abstract/53/211/243/1610975?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rimbo

Rimbo 26158

Posted
Posted
56 minutes ago, axiom of foundation said:

This is either a compliment or an insult depending on whether you are a simulation theorist or not.

 

It has to do with the nature of our reality.  Specifically, whether it is a simulation or not:

https://builtin.com/hardware/simulation-theory

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/confirmed-we-live-in-a-simulation/

https://academic.oup.com/pq/article-abstract/53/211/243/1610975?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false

 

 

Ok. So it's exactly as idiotic as it sounds.

Look, people have been comparing consciousness to whatever the highest technology construct of the day was for centuries. Our descendants will look upon this theory with the derision it clearly deserves a century from now; of course, by then, there will be another generation of idiot savants positing that THEIR highest tech explains the mind.

I was hoping that there might be something actually intelligent behind it, like what's explained here about how 3D space is merely a construct our minds use to understand reality, but... nope!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted
55 minutes ago, Pig Bellmont said:

Wait - is OP 15 and just watched the Matrix for the first time?

I've seen the Matrix more than once.  

 

28 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

Ok. So it's exactly as idiotic as it sounds.

Look, people have been comparing consciousness to whatever the highest technology construct of the day was for centuries. Our descendants will look upon this theory with the derision it clearly deserves a century from now; of course, by then, there will be another generation of idiot savants positing that THEIR highest tech explains the mind.

I was hoping that there might be something actually intelligent behind it, like what's explained here about how 3D space is merely a construct our minds use to understand reality, but... nope!

Well it cant't be that dumb if over 20% of surly posters believe in it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 89844

Posted
Posted

Perhaps we are Jacob Singer and it's 1975 and we think we are living with Elizabeth Peña in New York City, even though the last thing we remember was being wounded in Vietnam in 1971.

tumblr_mdf2j3ZN2n1qi6wtco1_500.gif

What's our gal doing with that monster?

_bFNM4.gif

Did we get experimented on?

BuKX.gif

Did we even make it out of Vietnam?

jacobs-ladder.gif

 

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ChiTownDoc

ChiTownDoc 21175

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, Helobious said:

I never understood the point of this question. What’s it matter if it is or isn’t? It’s real to us. 

Fuck me.  I agree w you.  Luckily (?) so did Stephen Hawking.
 
Also many modern philosophers/astrophysicists agree we are in a simulation.  

Edited by ChiTownDoc
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted
23 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Fuck me.  I agree w you.  Luckily (?) so did Stephen Hawking.
 
Also many modern philosophers/astrophysicists agree we are in a simulation.  

So do you agree with the many modern philosophers/astrophysicists you reference?  The opponents here seem to think it is idiotic.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Your Mom

Your Mom 4855

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, axiom of foundation said:

Strange things seem to be happening in the world and this is the best explanation for all the strangeness.

What strange things are happening? There’s a lot of unsettling things happening, but most of the news I read is as predictable and expected as it is disturbing.  

  • Rage+1 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45750

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, longhornmatt said:

I’m on the side that says the simulation hypothesis is what people turn to when they want religion to explain the unexplainable, but they’ve already rejected the traditional religions so their brain goes with the Matrix theory instead.  

If one is going to believe in a creation hypothesis of omnipotent creator(s) pulling the strings behind life, then the simulation hypothesis seems like a pretty bleak and counterproductive one to choose.  Or maybe a willfully callous one.  At least many of the traditional religions contain elements of morality, codes of conduct, incentives to be a good person (at least according to that religion) and get rewarded for it in the afterlife, etc.

If you really believe you’re just in a computer simulation, then it’s basically nihilism and a license to treat the world like Grand Theft Auto where you’re the protagonist and everything else is an NPC.  How wonderful it will be when everyone starts believing that.

I don't need traditional organized religion to learn morality and not be a piece of shit.  

I don't necessarily believe the simulation theory, but I also don't reject it because it is more comforting to believe than to accept that people really are this fucking stupid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
crash_davis

crash_davis 23115

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

If you believe other people are real and have empathy, I can see how morality exists without organized religion telling you it’s necessary.

If someone honestly believes they’re in a computer simulation, why would there be morality?  I mean if someone actually commits to this belief system and isn’t just flippantly saying it because something weird happened.  Nothing around you is even real at that point.  It’s like saying you should be moral in a video game.  

people were civil and moral to each other long before shitheads created religion to control people. is morality divine? maybe. but it's not based on any fantastical stories created by the works of fictions in any holy book of any organized religion on earth.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, ClubWhatever said:

If this is a simulation, what is being simulated?

It's simulations all the way down.

 

5 hours ago, Your Mom said:

What strange things are happening? There’s a lot of unsettling things happening, but most of the news I read is as predictable and expected as it is disturbing.  

As best I can tell, covid and election results have caused a loss of faith in humanity and driven people to Jesus.  Except the simulation folks don't care for Jesus, but they do like the internet so they turned to computers instead.   

 

5 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

people were civil and moral to each other long before shitheads created religion to control people. is morality divine? maybe. but it's not based on any fantastical stories created by the works of fictions in any holy book of any organized religion on earth.

Ok, even though there aren't formal rules, there is an etiquette we've arrived at.  You can't just jump straight to the end like that.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kel Varnsen

Kel Varnsen 8542

Posted
Posted

I asked our AI overlord:

The question of whether we are living in a simulation is a topic of philosophical and scientific debate. It's an idea that has been explored by thinkers throughout history, and more recently, it has gained attention due to advancements in technology and the popularity of concepts like virtual reality and simulation theory.

Simulation theory proposes that our reality is, in fact, a computer-generated simulation created by a more advanced civilization or higher beings. According to this theory, everything we perceive as the physical world is merely an illusion, and our consciousness exists within this simulated reality.

While the concept of living in a simulation is intriguing, there is currently no definitive evidence to prove or disprove it. It remains a philosophical hypothesis and an area of speculation rather than something that can be scientifically confirmed or refuted.

Some arguments in favor of the simulation hypothesis draw parallels to advancements in technology, suggesting that as we continue to create increasingly realistic simulations, it becomes more plausible that we are also living within one. Other arguments highlight potential limitations or inconsistencies in our perception and the laws of physics as possible indicators of a simulated reality.

On the other hand, critics of the simulation hypothesis argue that it is based on conjecture and lacks empirical evidence. They suggest that our current understanding of the universe and the fundamental laws of physics provides a sufficient explanation for the nature of reality without invoking the need for a simulated construct.

Ultimately, whether we are living in a simulation or not is an open question, and until compelling evidence emerges one way or the other, it remains a matter of personal belief and speculation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
General Specific

General Specific 3271

Posted
Posted

Is this not all the same question of “is there a higher power than I”? Religion, computer simulation, whatever, is just something bigger than me is controlling all of this.

We, on some small scale, have local control, agency, what have you, but at the lager, grand scale, someone or something is pulling the strings?

So some, choosing neither, are their own gods? They choose their own set of codes, morality etc., and believe in nothing above them?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business and Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Subscribe!... Donate!... Advertise... COOKIE MONSTER!

×
×
  • Create New...