The Simulation Argument is as follows:
If humans can reach the required level of technology to simulate a virtual world as detailed as our universe, then it raises the question whether reality is in fact already a simulation created by an existing civilisation who developed AI complex enough to simulate the detail of the world.
Do you think this concept is feasible and if so, when do you think we will be able to make the Matrix?
Still wouldn't answer the question of how something came from nothing. I personally can't see it ever happening, but who am I to say if we are capable of it?
Of course we are capable to create simulation and recreate the universe we live in.Who knows maybe this whole life is a simulation.We dont know what Matrix really is but if we knew, it would be a whole new world with alot more complexity.Now you said ''If humans can reach the required level of technology to simulate a virtual world'' its a long long long time to get this technology.We are Type 0 civilization and we are just getting in touch with Type 1 civilization.Till then you will be dead aswell i will be.Here is better explanation of Type civilzation we are in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n-tTst-vyQ
That video about the "types" of civilisation was very interesting. I never thought of classifying the dominion of planets and stars as benchmarks of civilisation. Your point about an upper civilisation being far more complex than our own to create the necessary AI would most likely be an accurate prediction if the argument was true.
If the argument turned out to be true, wouldn't it provide an explanation of how something came from nothing? We could just ask the programmers how they started the simulation and that would answer the question. That said, it would then raise the question of how THEIR universe began and the Simulation Argument would start over.
I don't think we could ever make a matrix where we ourselves could inhabit (like, if you went to sleep one day and the next woke up in a virtual world) - I think if that happened, you would definitely work it out. But if you were born into a simulation, it would be the only thing you know, so everything would be normal - so sure, we could all be living in the matrix right now!
As far as creating a matrix now. I definitely think its possible. If it is all you know, then nothing would seem wrong, even if the simulation has "graphics" like TF2 or Borderlands. So the virtual world could be made to whatever standard of technology is available.
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Quantum Mechanics by its very nature will confound and confundle the common sense of the human brain. Something from nothing is better explained by minds greater than my own, for example Dawkins and Krauss in this excerpt from one of their talks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY0EHI3Hg_Q
Plenty of other talks on youtube on the subject for those interested.
Your point about being bought up in a simulation aptly describes the difficulty of addressing the Simulation Argument. Like you said, if it is all you have ever known, how could you identify that it was not real? Maybe in hundreds of years when they release Elder Scrolls 20 or any game that uses complex AI, the characters of the game may possess the intelligence of our own, and thus be capable of asking the very same question.
DropBear is right! If you were born like in Call of Duty,Battlefield,Team Fortress etc Everything you see in your world would be normal to you,becouse you were born there.If this is a virtual world its hell of a good one computer simulation,just imagne if you could create your own world and never wake up and forget everything that is real.It would be awesome,and i would not recommend to do that why? What is better than this world you grew up and you know about it! By the time of 2050 the technology will be different you will live longer maybe even you gonna witness world to change from Type 0 to Type 1,when we gonna reach type 1 civilzation? About in 100 years so yeah......
This simulation thing is like a modern equivalent of the movie 'The Truman show'. If anyone's seen it?
"Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!"
Nope i haven't seen that movie.And btw this is THE BEST conversation i ever had.Thank you good sir for asking this question!
You ask the question about simulating a virtual world as detailed as our own. In which case, the start of the universe, its rules and principles must also be simulated to be as detailed as our own. Thus, the rules of Quantum Mechanics and other scientific principles are also a result of the parameters of the simulation. Scientists living in that simulation would have no option to "ask the programmers" because they don't live in the same world. Scientists can only explore the rules and origins of the simulated world they live in, which according to your premise, is indistinguishable from a real world.
Anyway, I digress. Why not take the argument back to its simplest form, there is no need to complicate it with simulations. How would you know the world you live in is real and you are not currently asleep and dreaming?
Thank you for your insightful answers!
We dont know if we are in simulation.Lets simplify the question what is simulation? Simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time,so if we ARE in simulation that means in ''real'' world this is the same thing we would see if we weren't is simulation.So everything you see in simulation you would see in real world that applies to ''the rules of Quantum Mechanics and other scientific principles''
Very true. However if the world we live in were a simulation does that mean it would be identical to the "real" world or even to other worlds running the same simulation. Given the rules that define the simulation, would the same event happen at the same time and, given a series of equally likely outcomes, always end in the same say? It would raise the equally sticky subject of free will vs determinism, maybe we are in a series of experimental simulated worlds designed to end that debate instead of this?!?
Yes, I agree that a simulated beginning must follow rules or "instructions" for it to occur. However, if the programmers of the simulation were able to create the beginning, they would possess an understanding of quantum mechanics, relativity, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, etc in order to write the instructions of the genesis of the world. Therefore, if we were able to access the dimension in which they exist, we could ask the creators of the simulation what scientific principles are required to give rise to a universe. To address your question of whether this universe is the ultimate reality, I think we just don't have enough evidence to make an accurate prediction. All we can do is make assumptions/hypotheses and test them as best we can.
Yes it would be identical to the "real" world.I dont know the rules of the ''simulation'' that we live in but sure we are the smartest living beings on this planet or ''simulation'' and we surely would figured it out by now how to hack or to crush the system of this program that is running ''simulation'' Then again we aren't sure if this is realty or not,mind blowing right :D
Good points. You now raise the question, does it really matter what is the genuine reality? Even in our own little world, some are convinced the world is 6000 years old, some think we are ruled by giant lizards, some think even more crazy things. Maybe getting a bit existential and OT, but is it not better to be blindly content with your perception of reality than to be constantly trying to discover what is real? Some people, even when faced with mountains of evidence, do obviously believe ignorance is bliss.
We are getting consumed by this ''simulation'' thing we live in reality there is no ''simulation'' Do you know what it takes to make a program or a game? Yea a long time so it would take infinity time to make a ''fake'' world to live in.There is past,present,future so if you changed past that effects the future.Simulation cant make that,simulation only recreates what happend and what might happen and its not precise and reable thing to use.You can make simulation what would happend if sun goes super nova BUT that doesn't mean it will happend exactly as simulation predicted.Everything can change in matter of seconds and nothing is advanced as human brain for now.There is no simluation this is reality.