Physicists Testing To See If Universe Is A Computer Simulation

What if the whole point of the simulation is to measure how long it takes us to realize and prove we're IN a simulation? Thereby ending the simulation and causing our whole 'simulated' universe to be shut down? All because some curious scientists with too much time on their hands, had to poke their noses in places they didn't belong... :(
 
1 in 15 gagillion chance for conscience human life to emerge (well, most of us are)? Look at the size of the universe. 1 in 15 gagillion is like 1 in 10 in comparison for what cup holds the marble (well, I doubt that, but to put it in meaningful terms, it's close, probably more like 1 in 100). We have 9 planets (Pluto 4 Lyfe!) around 1 star. Now, how many stars are there in our galaxy? How many galaxies? Yea, we're really special.

If there is a God/higher being/simulation, we aren't the sole subjects. Unless it's something like Dark City. Then, we are for that small area. We were once the only planet in the universe and the sun revolved around us.

DNA, etc. may be rare and difficult to create with the raw components by a fluke or chance. But, what about other non-DNA based life (can't prove it exists or doesn't, of course)? We know about life on one planet's life out of possible billions or even trillions of other planets. That ain't shit.

Uh.... life.... uh...uuh..... Life finds a way. :D
 
Uh.... life.... uh...uuh..... Life finds a way. :D

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I'm wagering on mice being the ones running the whole thing, and somewhere we will hear Douglas Adams laughing. Better get the towels ready. :p
 
Wait wait wait wait a minute.....

Can anyone here pleeeeeease with a good understanding what all this means somehow dumb it down for a fool such as me and explain it a way most of us will understand? I've been reading about this news for a few months now and as excited and amazed by this concept, I simply can't wrap my head around the basic principles of their ideas. Any help would be appreciated.
 
Not every differing opinion is 'bigotry.'

Ridiculing anyone who holds a different opinion is bigotry, which is what the poster I was addressing did. No different than a religious bigot who things anyone who doesn't believe the same thing as them is an idiot. Two sides of the same bigoted coin.

None of us know for sure whether there was or wasn't a reason for our creation and existence...or if there is a reason, what it is. So when you call someone an idiot for offering up an idea that is no more or less provable than any other, you are a bigot.
 
That's deep jordash

I'll never understand why the fact that cosmic dust came together and formed earth, and then elements came together and by pure 1:100000gabillion chance formed a living cell, which cell then spread and evolved into millions of different configurations, and out of those came sentient beings that could learn and build things like pyramids and airplanes and twinkies....

I just don't understand why that's not magical enough but instead we must invent stories about been created by aliens or super computers or some such idiocy.

Do you people even understand what an extraordinary rarity we are?

I think you're missing the point. The difference between this universe being "real" or being a "computer simulation" is very small. In fact, there's no difference at this time.

Defining reality as a bunch of sub-atomic particles interacting together in distinct, yet non-deterministic ways is what defines our world. We derive all intellect and "free-will" from these interactions; it doesn't matter if you call those interactions real or simulated..

At this stage in our species' evolution, this question probably can't be answered concretely. And it doesn't matter if it can, because it's inactionable. In thousands, millions or billions of years, if we've evolved enough, maybe it will matter.

Right now this is a philosophy question, and it's just as important as most of the rest: insofar as it's not important.
 
I think you're missing the point. The difference between this universe being "real" or being a "computer simulation" is very small. In fact, there's no difference at this time.

Defining reality as a bunch of sub-atomic particles interacting together in distinct, yet non-deterministic ways is what defines our world. We derive all intellect and "free-will" from these interactions; it doesn't matter if you call those interactions real or simulated..

At this stage in our species' evolution, this question probably can't be answered concretely. And it doesn't matter if it can, because it's inactionable. In thousands, millions or billions of years, if we've evolved enough, maybe it will matter.

Right now this is a philosophy question, and it's just as important as most of the rest: insofar as it's not important.

You're like a cyborg version of Aristotle. Laying the pimp wisdom on us ese...
 
Ridiculing anyone who holds a different opinion is bigotry...

Not really, but it's close.

Bigotry is the state of mind of a bigot, defined by Merriam-Webster as "a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially: one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance".[1]

You've got the degradation bit there, but not the prior self-centered and unwavering opinion. There's a difference. For example, I can ridicule you for being a dumb twat for not understanding what bigotry is and that wouldn't in and of itself be bigotry but rather ridicule. Bigotry would imply that I tell you what bigotry is, refute your claims as to what you believe it is, and declare myself the winner for all eternity.

The dude you claimed to be a bigot wasn't being a bigot because he never proclaimed himself to be right with absolute certainty nor even express his own opinion in such a manner. There's a clear difference between an opinion + ridicule and an opinion = bigotry, yet you jumped on the latter.

So why you gotta accuse everyone of being a bigot if you don't truly understand what the word means, you bigot!!~!~!`11``
 
If everything is just one big computer game,I wonder what rating it would get on Metacritic?
 
Ridiculing anyone who holds a different opinion is bigotry, which is what the poster I was addressing did. No different than a religious bigot who things anyone who doesn't believe the same thing as them is an idiot. Two sides of the same bigoted coin.

None of us know for sure whether there was or wasn't a reason for our creation and existence...or if there is a reason, what it is. So when you call someone an idiot for offering up an idea that is no more or less provable than any other, you are a bigot.

If there is purpose, or reason, for the the universe, it has an awfully strange way of revealing it; that is to say, with everything we've measured or observed, it hasn't. Go figure. Extrapolating on that to suggest that we, on some pale blue dot, are divorced enough from the universe to have a purpose is leaping before looking. Concluding before having evidence. And so on.
 
You've got the degradation bit there, but not the prior self-centered and unwavering opinion. There's a difference. For example, I can ridicule you for being a dumb twat for not understanding what bigotry is and that wouldn't in and of itself be bigotry but rather ridicule. Bigotry would imply that I tell you what bigotry is, refute your claims as to what you believe it is, and declare myself the winner for all eternity.

The dude you claimed to be a bigot wasn't being a bigot because he never proclaimed himself to be right with absolute certainty nor even express his own opinion in such a manner. There's a clear difference between an opinion + ridicule and an opinion = bigotry, yet you jumped on the latter.

So why you gotta accuse everyone of being a bigot if you don't truly understand what the word means, you bigot!!~!~!`11``

So when he claims that believing anything, other than that we are the accidental result of a collection of cosmic dust particles colliding with just the right parameters, is "idiocy", that's not a self-centered and unwavering opinion? Proclaiming any views other than his to be idiocy, or rolling his eyes at "needing a reason for existence" isn't clear implication that he thinks he's right in not doing so?

You need to stop trying to be smarter than you actually are.
 
If we ARE in a computer program, what makes us think we've got the ability to determine whether we're in a computer program or not? No matter how deep we dig, we might always just activate a subroutine that assures us we're not in a computer program. I would expect any programmer worth a shit to put something like that in to maintain the integrity of the program.

So regardless of the outcome of this investigation, I think it's safe to say we're most definitely possibly maybe in a computer program...or not.
 
If there is purpose, or reason, for the the universe, it has an awfully strange way of revealing it; that is to say, with everything we've measured or observed, it hasn't. Go figure. Extrapolating on that to suggest that we, on some pale blue dot, are divorced enough from the universe to have a purpose is leaping before looking. Concluding before having evidence. And so on.

That's your opinion that the method of revealing itself is strange. I happen to agree with it. You know what our basis for thinking it strange is? Standards that modern human knowledge defined and set. We should recognize those limits instead of automatically assuming we have all the answers. That's how you get people like the one I addressed(the bigot who said anything that disagreed with his paradigm was "idiocy").

We have allowed so much arrogance to permeate the membrane of scientific endeavor that we have turned science into a religion for many people...or, if you will, a cult. They sneer and scoff at anyone who is skeptical, when the lifeblood of scientific research is objective skepticism. Pushing new ideas via pressure by ridicule is total anathema to the point of pursuing greater knowledge.
 
What if we are in a simulation that a civilization is using to determine whether or not they are in a simluation?
 
Two things:

1. This is a weird time to live in that we're even asking this question (which has some validity).

2. Can we get a fucking critical update to this simulation. I think some code is missing or something needs better programmers.
 
What if we are in a simulation that a civilization is using to determine whether or not they are in a simluation?

Simuception! So the big question is, how deep are we in this simulation boondoggle?
 
I'm pretty sure it's supposed to turn off soon...maybe on the 21st of this month. ;)

They just sent an e-mail out today, something along the lines of...

"Simulation found no signs of intelligent life and will be aborted in 7 days."
 
They just sent an e-mail out today, something along the lines of...

"Simulation found no signs of intelligent life and will be aborted in 7 days."

Actually, it was "Server will reset in 537,180 seconds".
 
I believe we are just a part in a series of simulations all devised with the intent of determining if we/they are a simulation and we are on our way to creating a link in the chain.
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To me the real question is not whether or not we are a simulation, but whether or not we are real. Does being a simulation make us fake? If they hit the power button with that be the end of our existence. But now I have to go poo.
 
What if we are in a simulation that a civilization is using to determine whether or not they are in a simluation?

Now that's interesting. The whole subject makes me wonder about schizophrenics, etc. Maybe they're talking to voices of the simulators, maybe for some unknown reason..
 
Um, weird as it sounds, there are some VERY weird valid issues to address. For some damn reason, since I think back to 1940? They have been finding binary code in string theory. Aka, the universe does appear to be built on binary code. Since we can't actually prove our existence otherwise, why not try this angle?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1LCVknKUJ4

So...obviously, the "simulation" isn't using quantum computing...

Woops, did I just blow a giant hole in the theory?
 
Makes me think of when I was 5 and had Sea Monkey's. I was their creator. And by my hand they all died when I spilled their container.

I still think about them.
Just Kidding, I killed them for fun.
 
So when he claims that believing anything, other than that we are the accidental result of a collection of cosmic dust particles colliding with just the right parameters, is "idiocy", that's not a self-centered and unwavering opinion? Proclaiming any views other than his to be idiocy, or rolling his eyes at "needing a reason for existence" isn't clear implication that he thinks he's right in not doing so?

Still not bigotry! And he wasn't implying just this theory, he was actually throwing in some others.

Is it ignorant? Is his position unclear? Is he talking out of his poopoohole? Yes, yes, and that would explain the smell in here. Still not bigotry, though.

You need to stop trying to be smarter than you actually are.

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Now that's interesting. The whole subject makes me wonder about schizophrenics, etc. Maybe they're talking to voices of the simulators, maybe for some unknown reason..

If this were true simply studying schizophrenics would point out the consistency in their arguments. As it is, schizophrenics just talk a bunch of nonsense. I have a few schizo's in my family, most just talk about random shit like winning the lottery, and memorizing the bible because they are a profit.
 
Still not bigotry!

Then bigotry isn't bigotry. Nice try, though. I'll simplify for you.

"Anyone who believes something other than what I believe is stupid for believing it."

That's bigotry. That's what was said earlier, and that's what I called bigotry. Whether it be about the creation of the universe, religions beliefs, political beliefs, racial or sociological beliefs, or fucking sandwich meat...when you declare anything other than your belief to be deserving of ridicule, you are a bigot.

Now, I'm not saying that declaring those opposing beliefs to be wrong is bigotry. That's a distinct difference.

However, there's a big difference between the following two statements:

"I think you're wrong."
"You're stupid for thinking that."

The former is spoken by non-bigots. The latter isn't.
 
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