Are we really living in a simulation?
For a long time, philosophers have been saying we could be living in a simulation, but in the last 10 years, the idea has gained popularity online.
Are we really living in a simulation?
For a long time, philosophers have been saying we could be living in a simulation, but in the last 10 years, the idea has gained popularity online. Many famous scientists and business CEOs like Neil Degrassi Tyson and Elon Musk have contemplated simulation theory in public forms and in interviews. In a favorite YouTube video, Musk has proliferated the idea that we have more chance of living in a simulation than in the real world. For most, there has always been a 1:1 chance we are living in reality. This means there is 1 reality and 1 possibility we are living in. Still, if a future society developed the technology to simulate reality, the probability would be 1:2. If they ran the simulation 1 million times, it would be a 1:1 million chance we are living. This isn't actually correct. Every time the future civilization creates a simulation, that simulation has a chance of creating a simulation. That simulation might create a simulation, so in reality, once you hit a certain amount of simulations, the probability goes to 1: infinity. There is a 1 and infinity chance of us living in the real world. See why this theory is so virally catchy?
What evidence is there of us living in a simulation?
Other than mathematical probability, mumbo jumbo, is there anything else pointing scientists to the idea that we live in a simulation? Yes! A lot of evidence found on earth and throughout the universe points to planned or even programmed patterns. Fibonacci numbers and the golden ratio are 2 things people cite in nature that hint at a type of programming. The formation of swirl patterns on leaves matching the swirl of the galaxy matching DNA, that sort of thing. I'm not going into it here, but scientists see natural patterns you would expect in a computer-created universe simulation. See the YouTube clips for more:
Can we Escape the simulation?
Some people are suggesting that we could escape the simulation. https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/a43402092/how-to-escape-the-simulation In the simulations we are talking about, this would be impossible. We are not talking about being in the Matrix like in the 1999 movie, but there is a natural and outside world. The simulations that would be running would only exist inside a computer. Think of it like an NPC in your video game, just popping out and walking around in the real world. He has nobody. He has no form. He is just made up of electrons. We are fiat humans living in this scenario; no flesh and blood is backing us up. No, you could not escape the machine, no matter what anyone says.
Can you glitch or control the machine?
Hacking the simulations is something different altogether. We may be unable to leave the simulation, but we could hack the machine. There are 2 ways to do this. 1. You could try subtle manipulations to cause changes in the simulation, or 2. You could try to "glitch" the machine.
Let's speculate that some of our problems as humans are by design. For example, the universal speed limit of light speed. Nothing can travel faster than light, according to Einstein. It makes sense that light speed is the limit because it is one way we experience the world, but it also keeps us from all places at once. Let's say we could exploit this law, and like Mario finding a hidden brick in Mario World, we could see a secret spot that lets us slip through the universe. This may be a warp drive. There are lots of things we can affect in the machine.
Glitch the machine
There has been some talk about taxing the machine's resources. One scientist suggested getting a million people to meditate simultaneously, then suddenly spring into action. This would tax the machine. This is a horrible idea. The last thing we want to do is tax the resources of the computer we are living in. I've done this many times with my computers. What we are saying is we are trying to blue screen of death in the universe. If we were in a simulation, this would likely be the end of the simulation, and the universe would end. Think about it. If we are in a simulation, it is probably running for a reason, and the only reason to run a simulation is to see an outcome. Also, it's meant to run quickly. So our universe and everything in it could be zipped by a computer screen in milliseconds. We could be a flash in the cycle of 100 billion attempts to see how long it takes for the universe to cool on average. To wreck the simulation, to over-tax its resources until it shuts down most certainly means death for all of us.