====== Is the Universe a Computer Simulation? ======

{{tag>Unfalsifiable?}}

//The Simulation Hypothesis// was first published by [[https://frc.ri.cmu.edu/~hpm/|Hans Moravec]] (of the Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, US) in 1998. See [[http://www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/~hpm/project.archive/general.articles/1998/SimConEx.98.html|Simulation, Consciousness, Existence]]

Then, in 2003, [[https://nickbostrom.com/|Professor Nick Bostrom, ]] Director of the Future of Humanity Institute, Faculty of Philosophy & James Martin 21st Century School, Oxford University, published his paper // [[http://www.simulation-argument.com/simulation.pdf|'Are You Living In a Computer Simulation?']] // (//Philosophical Quarterly,// 2003, Vol. 53, No. 211, pp. 243-255.)

>This paper argues that at least one of the following propositions is true: (1) the human species is very likely to go extinct before reaching a 'posthuman' stage; (2) any posthuman civilization is extremely unlikely to run a significant number of simulations of their evolutionary history (or variations thereof); (3) we are almost certainly living in a computer simulation. It follows that the belief that there is a significant chance that we will one day become posthumans who run ancestor-simulations is false, unless we are currently living in a simulation."

The paper has since generated much philosophical debate - according to some philosophers, it's impossible to construct a proof or disproof. More info. [[http://www.simulation-argument.com/|here]] on the professor's website.

Further discussion from professor [[http://www.ynharari.com/|Yuval Noah Harari]] writing in //[[https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1111302/homo-deus/|'Homo Deus - A Brief History of Tomorrow']]// (//Penguin Books//, 2016) :

>According to current scientific dogma, everything I meience is the result of electrical activity in my brain, and therefore it should be theoretically feasible to simulate an entire world that I could not possibly distinguish from the 'real' world. Some brain scientists believe that in the not too distant future, we shall actually do such things."

And, from a mathematical viewpoint :

>[...] since there is only one real world, whereas the number of potential virtual worlds is infinite, the probability that you inhabit the sole real world is almost zero."

Note: This article is tagged 'Unfalsifiable' because non-one has yet been able to devise any form of experiment which could either prove or disprove the theory - let alone carry one out.

----

Also see :[[content:philosophy:brains_in_vats]]