We're Totally Living in a Simulation

Ever since I started writing for WSO again there has been one topic you guys have asked me to cover more than any other, and that is the notion that we're living in a simulation. Well, living probably isn't the right word. More like rendering.

This line of questioning is nothing new (hell, Rene Descartes thought about it in the 1500s), but it's been all the rage lately thanks to

. Musk's answer included the statement that, "The odds that we're in base reality is one in billions." He even goes so far as to say that we should hope this is a simulation, because if things stop advancing at their current rate it most likely means that human civilization has met its ignominious end.

While this notion is best contemplated over a half bottle of single malt (or some of that icky sticky north slope quiver bud), let's assume he's correct for a moment and consider some of the implications.

Potential Implications

 

  • You haven't been "alive" for X number of years at all, it might be only five minutes. All of your memories and those of your family and friends are all implanted.
  • No one (except you) actually exists until/unless you interact with them. In other words, I can't be certain that my wife and kids exist unless I walk upstairs right now and "see" them. Even then, it could be that they're just rendering because I'm there, sort of like how things that weren't there a second before suddenly are as you move through a video game.
  • You're an NPC. This is the one that hits closest to home for me. Ever feel like your life is the same day in and day out? That you get up, go to work, bang around in Excel, grab a coffee, exchange inane banter with your similarly disengaged coworkers, then go home and do it all again, kinda like the h***ers wandering around in GTA? You might be a non-player character, whose only purpose is to enhance the experience of an actual player in the game. Like, say, Dan Bilzerian.
  • All the religious nonsense goes straight out the window. Where's your God now? It might even be some future version of you, which should be really unsettling to you considering your disturbing taste in porn.
  • None of this shit matters. Even a little bit. This is by far the most comforting potential implication if you allow it to wash over you. There is no real pain in the world, no one you've ever loved or will love gets sick and dies (at least not really), and you can do pretty much anything you want without real consequences (n.b. some of the simulated consequences are horrendous enough to make you think twice, though). That is, unless this is Roko's Basilisk, in which case we're all well and truly fucked.

Enter BOA

To make the whole topic even more surreal, prominent scientists have either come out in support of the theory or at least are open minded to it. But what about something as mainstream as a bank?

Bank of America recently weighed in on the subject, and they placed the odds that this is all a giant simulation as high as 50/50. Yup, you read that right.

I would have loved to have been in the room when that research report was commissioned. Here's the takeaway:

 

 

So What?

So the big question then becomes so what? Odds are even if this is a simulation we'd never know it (the hallmark of any decent simulation).

Maybe the conjecture is worth nothing more than the elegant answer it provides to some of life's more vexing questions.

For example, there are definitely glitches in the Matrix. There are times (plural, it's happened several times) that I'm having a conversation with someone and in my head I'm going over not only what has been said but what is about to be said because I've had the exact same conversation with the exact same person before. Verbatim. When I ask if we've discussed it before they give me a puzzled look and say, "Of course not."

Bingo. Simulation. Just a video game replaying its hard coded sequences.

And what about the Fermi Paradox? Simulation theory provides an elegant answer that doesn't involve all of humanity dying in a ball of alien fire if every other advanced alien civilization is already tucked warmly inside their own simulation.

Mostly it provides a neat bow to tie around my personal failings in life. As one Redditor put it in a post many months ago, "If this is all a video game, whoever's playing my life is on the free version." True dat.

I realize this is a lot to consider (or immediately dismiss), and I certainly could have devoted more space to it. But it's one of those things where there's really no logical place to stop, perhaps because it's something that'll likely never be answered. I don't know.

I'm interested to hear what you guys think, though. Is Musk right? Is this all a simulation? If so, who's driving it and to what end? Are we merely the digital playthings of our future selves? If so, my future self is kind of a dick. Which I guess makes sense.

 

I'll settle with a mutation of Pascale's wager: perhaps everything Lizard Brain, in his limited primordial cognitive abilities, perceives is a simulation, but there's a possibility it's not, so Lizard Brain is still going to pursue the course of his life in a way that he thinks balances maximum benefit to self and kin while minimizing harm to others.

 
Lizard Brain:

I'll settle with a mutation of Pascale's wager: perhaps everything Lizard Brain, in his limited primordial cognitive abilities, perceives is a simulation, but there's a possibility it's not, so Lizard Brain is still going to pursue the course of his life in a way that he thinks balances maximum benefit to self and kin while minimizing harm to others.

That's exactly what a simulated person would do.

Confirmed.

 

Some have asked "well what's the point?" "why does this matter?" - I think one of the most interesting implications is discussing the "afterlife". If we're in a simulation and you die, do you enter a new simulation? Do you repeat this simulation? Is this it?

On a side note, this is fun thing I heard recently, Duncan Trussell (my favorite hippie comedian/podcaster) had the great idea of taking the Book of John and using find/replace in Word to create a new version. Basically what he did was to substitute the words: (copy/pasting this from reddit to save time)

God = the Programmer Word = Code Light = upgrade World = simulation Overcome = download

Here is an example of what happens when you do this to the Gospel of John that tells the story of how God sent Jesus to mankind to die for our sins.

Book of John

In the beginning was the Code, and the Code was with the Programmer, and the Code was the Programmer. He was with the Programmer in the beginning. Through him all things were programmed; without him nothing was programmed that has been programmed. In him was life, and that life was the upgrade of all mankind. The upgrade shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not downloaded it.

There was an upgrade sent from the Programmer whose name was 2.0. He came as an upgrade to testify concerning that upgrade, so that through him all might be upgraded. He himself was not the true upgrade; he came only as a witness to the upgrade.

The true upgrade that gives upgrade to everyone was coming into the simulation. He was in the simulation, and though the simulation was programmed through him, the simulation did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of the Programmer – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of the Programmer.

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AndyLouis:

Some have asked "well what's the point?" "why does this matter?" - I think one of the most interesting implications is discussing the "afterlife". If we're in a simulation and you die, do you enter a new simulation? Do you repeat this simulation? Is this it?
--
On a side note, this is fun thing I heard recently, Duncan Trussell (my favorite hippie comedian/podcaster) had the great idea of taking the Book of John and using find/replace in Word to create a new version. Basically what he did was to substitute the words: (copy/pasting this from reddit to save time)

God = the Programmer
Word = Code
Light = upgrade
World = simulation
Overcome = download

Here is an example of what happens when you do this to the Gospel of John that tells the story of how God sent Jesus to mankind to die for our sins.

Book of John

In the beginning was the Code, and the Code was with the Programmer, and the Code was the Programmer. He was with the Programmer in the beginning. Through him all things were programmed; without him nothing was programmed that has been programmed. In him was life, and that life was the upgrade of all mankind. The upgrade shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not downloaded it.

There was an upgrade sent from the Programmer whose name was 2.0. He came as an upgrade to testify concerning that upgrade, so that through him all might be upgraded. He himself was not the true upgrade; he came only as a witness to the upgrade.

The true upgrade that gives upgrade to everyone was coming into the simulation. He was in the simulation, and though the simulation was programmed through him, the simulation did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of the Programmer - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of the Programmer.


https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Kl5K3teDkE?feature=oembed

Not important at all but is it safe to say Created = Programmed?

 

What if we're not just in a simulation but a simulation created by members of another simulation, ie a simulation within a simulation. Inception style. What if this simulation within a simulation structure goes on infinitely...simulation within a simulation within a simulation within a simulation etc. etc.

What if God tried to microwave a burrito so hot that He Himself could not eat it

 
<span class=keyword_link><a href=/resources/skills/finance/going-concern>Going Concern</a></span>:

What if we're not just in a simulation but a simulation created by members of another simulation, ie a simulation within a simulation.

so that would be like when I used to play the sims on my computer...

interesting topic and hypothesis for sure. IDK. I feel like most people live their lives like sims, never getting to the subconscious levels of themselves (and becoming awakened). maybe our whole civilization isn't simmed only some....

twitter: @StoicTrader1 instagram: @StoicTrader1
 

I just spent 10 minutes sitting at my desk, arms crossed, staring at the ceiling trying to figure out how to catch someone in a "if a tree falls and nobody was there did it makes a sound" scenario and have decided that the best way would be to set up hidden cameras in my house and one day, when I'm out and my wife is home, text her and then look at the video to try to sync the times of her replying to the video... But first, I should probably put the video on an external HD and ship it to another location, right? Seems right. And let some time pass. But now I've revealed my plan to the universe so now I need a new plan..... ideas?

heister: Look at all these wannabe richies hating on an expensive salad. https://arthuxtable.com/
 
Best Response

so what you're saying is, you fucked up and took 30mg of addie, but your group is super slow today? I hate when that happens....

Seriously though, I would be interested in knowing how the heck you can quantify the % chance "our world is a Matrix-style virtual reality"

 
mrb87:

The better question is how does it matter? Is a prison without walls really a prison?

Well put.

It would be quite odd if we one day get a confirmation that we are, because as far as I know when "The Matrix" came out, there was quite a few suicides as a result of the theory. So, yeah, one would probably need a bunker to hide until all the psychos wipe themselves out.

On the other hand, the reference to programming and genetics is quite the topic, but I will spare you the wall of text.

 
AndyLouis:

i dont believe we are, but who knows.

something interesting that i heard is that scientists found error correction code (like computer code) in the genetic code of something organic, i forget what exactly..

All organisms have 'error correction code' in their genetic material. Genetic material is analogous to computer code.

 

If this were true, the fact is that there are only two possible scenarios. One is that the player wants to use cheat codes and make his characters as successful as possible, like I did when I was a kid playing The Sims (cheat codes for infinite cash so I could build an MTV Cribs-style home). The other scenario is you want to see your characters suffer as much as possible (like picking up your Roller Coaster Tycoon guest and putting them in a small, fenced-off area). I have a feeling I am the latter character.

 

Eddie,

I honestly think that Musk's comments are a thinly veiled reference at the general attempt to to dumb down the masses and increase their desire for escapism. To borrow from Hobbes, "No arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death: and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short." So we pursue escapism and Virtual Reality is the next form of escapism. No matter what the rich may think about their own lives, for the masses, life is nasty, brutish and short so they seek to escape it. I mean, there are so many forms of escapism - from television to video games to substance abuse. I think presuming that we are nothing but NPCs or are characters in our own video games is a bit absurd because it takes away from the idea that we are the sum of our experiences. It also completely removes free will from the equation. The lack of free will is disturbing in general. Then again, the older I get, the more I believe that escapism is bad and as much as I enjoy a nice glass of whiskey, I would rather spend my time being productive.

 

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