Hoping to provoke some discussion with this. If we were sentient beings created inside of an advanced computer simulation, would we ever be able to tell? What signs do you think we’d see? And…do you think we are?
Hoping to provoke some discussion with this. If we were sentient beings created inside of an advanced computer simulation, would we ever be able to tell? What signs do you think we’d see? And…do you think we are?
If our simulated experiences were indistinguishable from that of beings in the “real” universe, would the distinction between simulated and not even matter?
Yes. A simulation can be turned off. Or perhaps even crashed…
More generally, a simulation has stuff “outside the simulation” that can effect the simulation. There is nothing “outside” of fundamental reality.
“Magic” can occur in a simulation, things that appear to have great material costs inside the simulation cost nothing to implement outside the simulation.
Would you voluntarily hook yourself up to the Matrix?
No, I don’t think I’d make that choice, probably not even under duress.
But if such a sim was absolutely indistinguishable in every way, we’d likely never know and our experiences within it would probably not be any less valid.
It’s a big if. And I don’t mean to support some BigSim dystopia, only reflect on what makes our perceived reality… real, from the human perspective.
As in, whether one is from an actual reality or a virtual reality, things that have happened to them may feel real to them, and ultimately be their reality regardless. The Sim itself can be wrong, and the experiences of those within still be important to them.
The thing with The Matrix analogy, is that every human in it has a physical body that awaits them on the other side of the pill.
Whereas, if simulated realities were a thing, there would likely be several instances of it and your self would likely also be simulated or at least virtual in nature.
If I was in the canon Matrix universe, I’d definitely want out. If I was in some other form of Sim, where existing outside of the Sim was outright impossible, that might be different.
I appreciate the nuanced take. I personally can’t tell what I would choose when push comes to shove. It’s a difficult topic to digest because there’s always lots of big IFs for each scenario.
However I think the definition of the word ‘real’ is obscuring a larger issue. Are feelings of a fictional character in a story real by your definition albeit only to themselves? Who or what is validating these experiences?