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Is this actually a computer simulation?
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Is everything real, or a computer simulation?
I'm sure this subject has been done to death already (most have, eh?), but I came across this article on Twitter and decided to share it with other DSers.
I'm sure most people have, at some point, pondered whether life is real. While I feel that this is probably merely because we're always looking for answers, struggling to accept that this life is all there is (it's often so dull and painful), I still get excited by the idea that perhaps it's not just wishful thinking.
Here's the article (it's not that long):
http://www.gafnews.com/content/are-we-living-super-computer-simulation-aliens-beings
I'm sure this subject has been done to death already (most have, eh?), but I came across this article on Twitter and decided to share it with other DSers.
I'm sure most people have, at some point, pondered whether life is real. While I feel that this is probably merely because we're always looking for answers, struggling to accept that this life is all there is (it's often so dull and painful), I still get excited by the idea that perhaps it's not just wishful thinking.
Here's the article (it's not that long):
http://www.gafnews.com/content/are-we-living-super-computer-simulation-aliens-beings
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Comments
and not in a good way
Does that mean that I only exist in your mind then?
And I didn't really post this. You just imagined I did?
I'm glad you imagined beer.
Yes, I kind of invented you.
Hey, you invented beer. You are my god.
I don't even remember doing it, that's the weird thing.
No, I suppose the fact that we all die anyway means that it doesn't really matter. True and good point! But I'm still fascinated by such theories.
Haha! Years ago. This thread was prompted by a tweet.
I still haven't won the lottery and it's really cold outside tonight and I haven't even started my christmas shopping.:mad:
But I wouldn't put any money on it...
20 GOTO 10
The 'faster than light' bug has been found, so it's only a matter of time before we find more.:p
If I type 42 will we all disappear?:D
Now to the article, this line in particular was very thought provoking -
One of the current ones, is what is called the "holographic principal" which isn't really as groovy as it sounds. But what it does say is very interesting; that the universe doesn't really work the way that we think....it's "encoded" as a series of "bits" representing all the properties a particle can have, which string theory sort of take a step further and tries to discretely define the information that every type of phenomena can have.
(or atleast, that's my rough understanding of it. I could be hugely mistaken)
There's also what Einstein called "spooky action at a distance" where particle pairs assume the opposite charge of one another, instantaneously when observed. How can this happen, when there's no way that "information" can travel between these two particles faster than the speed of light?
Do I think we're living in a simulation? Probably. But I doubt it's a simulation run by a higher intelligence...I think that the universe works a lot like the way we store information in a computer simulation (something I have a lot of experience in) and also has a distinct time step (something like the length of quantum fluctuations in an absolute vacuum).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Pohl
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tunnel-Under-World-Frederik-Pohl/dp/146380136X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323515382&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tunnel-Under-Galaxy-Project-ebook/dp/B005QQOA2M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323515382&sr=8-2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_the_Unknown