Living in a computer simulation is not as unlikely as one
might think. If we consider the amazing speed at which technology is advancing
today, it becomes extremely likely that we will soon have the ability to create
our own simulated Universe, perhaps able to create simulated life. If we reach
this point it is almost ridiculous to believe that we are not someone else’s
computer simulation. When thinking about life itself we are constrained to the
physical laws of this Universe and the physical constraints of time. In my
opinion there are multiple layers of the Universe that humanity will never be
able to comprehend. Thus it seriously interests me to picture a Universe
outside of ours that is the basis of creation for our possibly “simulated”
Universe.
Working outside
of our physical laws in the medium of another Universe we can do literally
anything. The laws of conservation of matter and energy could be inexistent
allowing things to just pop out of nowhere. In this manner we have an
explanation for the Big Bang. Outside of these physical constraints it could
make sense for a species to formulate our Universe in a simulation with
physical laws of their own choosing. My idea of course expands on the general
idea of The Matrix. If our 21st century life is nothing more than a
simulation, who’s to say that our entire Universe, everything that we hold to
be true and real, is nothing more than a simulation?
Thinking
too hard on this topic causes reality to cease to hold any meaning. Our
precious awareness, already constrained by our animalistic senses, is now
constrained by the idea of reality itself.
As Morpheus asked and explained to Neo, “What is real? If you are talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, taste and see, then ‘real’ is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.”
ReplyDeleteWhy can my brain tell the differences among foods? This question puzzles me for a long while. Is a stereotype or ‘matrix’ telling my brain that is certain type of foods?
With the advanced 3D printing technology, the objects that we are trying to imitate are gradually lifelike. The question, what real is, is becoming hard to answer.
I think it is interesting how technology and simulated life can become a philosophical issue. If we humans now have the power to create life (through computer programming) and control it, who is to say that we ourselves are not a part of a game? If we think about it from a religious point of view, we are actually all part of God's created reality, and humans can now also be creators of their own realities through technology. In the end, we are all created and all creators; so which life is the real one? Are we just living in the matrix? These kinds of thoughts might seem ridiculous, but they are ones that arise thanks to the endless possibilities computer programming has opened. I personally do not believe our reality is actually a constructed virtual world, but I cannot deny that I have been distracted with this idea and ended up thinking about it for some time before I have to pinch myself out of it and re-convince myself that I am not living in a created reality. But then again, can we ever be sure?...
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting to distinguish, between when we controlled and when we are being controlled by technology, that is one of the interpretations i got from watching the Matrix again. I once read a book called " The Kid who lived in the stars" summary this kid had played a video game so much that it had become his reality, and real life was just a dream, kind of similar to the movie "Inception" right? At the end what is real and what is not?
ReplyDeleteI think that we choose in what we want to believe and what we dont want to believe in, but I think is sometimes difficult to realize what is real and what is not, specially when we are so engage into something, to those for persons for example that Turkle mentioned, for them online gaming was reality and real life was their dream.
I think that if we will really be able to create stimulated life we won't be able to differeniate between the two: our real lives and the created lives. At first, I think it will fascinate people who are interested in increasing and evolving technology but eventually we will get bored and loook for the next big thing. But back to the creation of a stimulated world,we're free to do anything with no constraints,so do the values and morals and rules we have now hold have meaning? Whatever we call "real" is getting harder to clarify.
ReplyDeleteThe Matrix and this post began to make me question the definition of reality. If we define reality as what we see, believe, and sense to be real than reality is not a concrete object but just a perception. In my experience, I have had dreams that were realistic in every matter, and I believed these experience to be reality until I woke up. This happens because while we dream, our brains simulate reality in a similar fashion that a computer can do.
ReplyDeleteIf technology could develop a way to artificially control our brains to simulate reality, the idea of the matrix becomes feasible. Life could simply be a dream that you never wake up from. The movie Inception also plays with the idea that you can get lost in perceiving an artificial reality and eventually not be able to discern what is reality and what is not. These movie are science fiction, yet the concepts in these films are feasible in many aspects.
This question of reality is one I have found fascinating for years. When I was younger I used to imagine that my whole life was a dream, that in reality the life I/we live in is just my dream life. I used to always wonder what my "real" life would be like. Would I be a fifth grader? Or maybe a 40 year old? A male even? As you said, Carly, thinking about what is real is rather difficult and my brain usually can't grasp the concept for too long. Yet I first imagined this alternative reality rather young (between the ages of 6 and 10). How instinctually it came to me makes me wonder about it even more...how did I come to even imagine such an elusive topic? What it just cultural influences or was is it some universal truth just waiting to be discovered? Or maybe I'm just that intelligent (ha!). As we've all said, the concept of another reality sounds ridiculous, but really, who knows?
ReplyDeleteIt seems silly to quote from a work of pulp fiction, but I've always lived by Conan the Barbarian's famous philosophy (minus the killing part). This is from Robert E. Howard's story "The Queen of the Black Coast," not the two films:
ReplyDelete"Let teachers and priests and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me."
As Socrates, one of those philosophers Conan shrugs off, puts it in one of his final dialogs, a philosopher lives as if preparing to die. What he means in this is "live a pious life of being good to others, just in case the gods are real and you have to answer for your actions."
The question of what is real may be impossible to answer. Whether viewed from a religious/spiritual perspective or a more scientific angle, there are countless unanswered questions about the universe and life itself. The Matrix presents a post-singularity world in which most people's "reality" is actually a virtual computer generated world. Although being enslaved in the Matrix and used as a human battery seems less than appealing, one character chooses to go back citing that "ignorance is bliss". He would rather be ignorant and happy than enlightened to the depressing reality of the world. Which begs the question: is there any such thing as reality? or is reality relative? Are there different levels of awareness and knowledge as suggested by Plato's Cave allegory or are we all part of a computer program? Of course there is no way to answer this question, which is why it has and will be asked for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteIt seems silly to quote from a work of pulp fiction, but I've always lived by Conan the Barbarian's famous philosophy (minus the killing part). This is from Robert E. Howard's story "The Queen of the Black Coast," not the two films:
ReplyDelete"Let teachers and priests and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me."
As Socrates, one of those philosophers Conan shrugs off, puts it in one of his final dialogs, a philosopher lives as if preparing to die. What he means in this is "live a pious life of being good to others, just in case the gods are real and you have to answer for your actions."
The characer of cypher really brings out an important point: does reality matter? is it simply overrated?. He wanted to forget 'real' life and return to the matrix. Just because the the world maybe an illusion does not mean that we cannot enjoy it. People get immersed in the virtual worlds of video games on daily basis. Surely it is concievable that some people would not mind living in a so called false version of the world.I wonder whether it is truly important that we know whether we live in matrix or not.
ReplyDelete