Have you ever thought about the fact that our real world may not be real at all? What if everything around us is just an illusion, invented by someone? This is exactly what the hypothesis of computer simulation says. Let's try to understand whether it is worth seriously considering this theory, or if it is just the fruit of someone's fantasy, which has no foundation.
"He is your illusion": how the simulation hypothesis came about
It is completely wrong to think that the idea that our world is only an illusion has appeared only recently. This idea was expressed by Plato (of course, in a different form, not referring to computer simulation). In his opinion, only ideas have true material value, the rest is just a shadow. Aristotle shared similar views. He believed that ideas are embodied in material objects, therefore, everything is a simulation.
Despite the fact that the very idea of simulation theory is rooted in the distant past, the heyday of the theory occurred with the development of information technology. One of the main terms in the development of computer simulation is "virtual reality". The term itself was coined in 1989 by Jaron Lanier. Virtual reality is a kind of artificial world where the individual is immersed through the senses. Virtual reality simulates both impact and reactions to these impacts.
In the modern world, simulation theory is increasingly becoming a topic of discussion in the context of artificial intelligence developments. In 2016, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, an American astrophysicist, Ph. D. in physics, held a debate with scientists and researchers about the simulation hypothesis. Even Elon Musk has stated that he believes in simulation theory. According to him, the possibility that our "reality" is basic is extremely negligible, but this is even better for humanity. In September of the same 2016, Bank of America issued an appeal to clients, in which it warned that with a probability of 20-50% our reality is a matrix.
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Simulation hypothesis: how it works
How long have you played computer games? It's time to brush up on how you and your friends went through GTA missions in your youth. Remember: the world in a computer game exists only around the hero. As soon as objects or other characters disappear from the field of view of the virtual hero, they disappear completely. There is nothing outside the hero's space. Cars, buildings, people appear only when your character is there. In computer games, this simplification is done in order to minimize the load on the processor and optimize the game. The supporters of the simulation hypothesis see our world in something like this.
Proof of theory
Swedish philosopher and professor at Oxford University Nick Bostrom in his 2001 article "Aren't We Living in The Matrix?" offered three proofs that the simulation hypothesis is indeed correct. At least one of these pieces of evidence is definitely correct, he says. In the first proof, the philosopher states that humanity as a species will disappear "before reaching the 'posthuman' stage." Second, any new posthuman society is unlikely to run a large number of simulations that would show variants of its history. His third statement is that "we are almost certainly living in a computer simulation."
In his reasoning, Bostrom gradually refutes the first two of his proofs, which automatically gives him the right to speak about the correctness of the third hypothesis. It is easy to refute the first statement: according to the researcher, humanity is capable of developing artificial intelligence to such an extent that it can simulate the work of many living organisms. The correctness of the second hypothesis is refuted by the theory of probability. Conclusions about the number of earthly civilizations cannot be applied to the entire Universe. Therefore, if both the first and second judgments are wrong, then it remains to accept the latter: we are in a simulation.
Simulation theory is supported by a 2012 study by scientists at the University of California, San Diego. They found that all the most complex systems - the Universe, the human brain, the Internet - have a similar structure and develop in the same way.
The experience of Thomas Jung back in 1803 turned "modern" physics upside down. In his experiment, he shot photons of light through a parallel-slit screen. A special projection screen was located behind it to record the result. Shooting photons through one slit, the scientist found that the photons of light lined up a single line on this screen that was parallel to the slit. This confirmed the corpuscular theory of light, which says that light is made of particles. When another slit for the passage of photons was added to the experiment, it was expected that there would be two parallel lines on the screen, however, in spite of this, a series of alternating interference fringes appeared. Through this experiment, Jung confirmed another - wave - theory of light, which says that light propagates as an electromagnetic wave. Both theories,seems to contradict one another. It is impossible that light is both a particle and a wave at the same time.
Young's experiment, where S1 and S2 are parallel slots, a is the distance between the slots, D is the distance between the screen with slots and the projection screen, M - point of the screen on which two beams fall simultaneously, Wikimedia.
Later, scientists found that electrons, protons, and other parts of the atom behave strangely. For the purity of the experiment, the scientists decided to measure how exactly the photon of light passes through the slits. For this, a measuring device was placed in front of them, which was supposed to fix the photon, and put an end to the disputes of physicists. However, here the scientists were in for a surprise. When the researchers observed the photon, it again manifested the properties of a particle, and two lines again appeared on the projection screen. That is, one fact of outside observation of the experiment made the particles change their behavior, as if the photon knew that it was being watched. Observation was able to destroy the wave functions and make the photon behave like a particle. Does that remind you of anything, gamers?
Based on the foregoing, adherents of the computer simulation hypothesis compare this experiment with computer games, when the virtual world of the game "freezes" if there is no player within it. Likewise, our world, to optimize the conditional power of the central processor, lightens the load and does not calculate the behavior of photons until they begin to be observed.
Criticism of the theory
Of course, the given evidence of the theory of simulation is criticized by other scientists - opponents of this hypothesis. They place the main emphasis on the fact that in scientific articles, where the proofs of the theory are presented, there are gross logical errors: “logical circle, autoreference (the phenomenon when a concept refers to itself), ignoring the non-random position of observers, violation of causality and neglect of control of simulation with sides of the creators . According to Danila Medvedev, Ph. D. in Economics, one of the founders of the coordinating council of the Russian transhumanist movement, Bostrom's basic principles do not stand up to philosophical and physical rules: for example, the rule of causality. Bostrom, contrary to all logic, admits the influence of future events on the events of our time.
Also, our civilization is probably not of any interest to simulate at all. The global society, according to Danila Medvedev, is not as interesting as, for example, states and local communities, and from a technological point of view, modern civilization is still too primitive.
In 2011, Craig Hogan, director of the Center for Quantum Physics at the Fermi Laboratory in the USA, decided to test whether what a person sees around him is real and not “pixels”. For this, he invented the "holometer". He analyzed the light beams from the emitter built into the device, and determined that the world is not a two-dimensional hologram, and it really exists.
Poster for the movie The Matrix.
Simulation theory in the film industry: what to watch to be on top
The directors are actively trying to reveal the idea of life in the matrix. It is safe to say that it was thanks to cinema that this theory reached a mass audience. Of course, the main film about computer simulation is The Matrix. Brothers (now sisters) Wachowski quite accurately managed to depict a world where humanity from birth to death is controlled by computer simulation. Real people in the "Matrix" can go into this simulation in order to create a "second self" and transfer their consciousness into it.
The second film for those who want to learn more about computer simulation is "Thirteenth Floor". It reflects the idea that it is possible to move from one level to the next in the simulation. The film embodies the likelihood of multiple simulations. Our world is a simulation, but an American company has created another new one - for a separate city. Heroes move between simulations by moving consciousness into the body of a real person.
In Vanilla Sky, with a young Tom Cruise, it is possible to get into a computer simulation after death. The physical body of the hero is subjected to cryogenic freezing, and the consciousness is transferred to a computer simulation. The film is a remake of the 1997 Spanish Open Eyes.
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Now it is very difficult to unequivocally answer the question: do we live in a computer matrix or not. However, such a hypothesis takes place: our Universe keeps too many mysteries and white spots. Even physics cannot explain these secrets. And even after their solution, new, much more complex questions appear.