u10.int_subintrvrsn » simulation http://www.subintroversion.com/v2 random u10 musings Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 real? what is real? http://www.subintroversion.com/v2/2007/08/20/real-what-is-real/ http://www.subintroversion.com/v2/2007/08/20/real-what-is-real/#comments Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:44:30 +0000 {ns} http://www.subintroversion.com/v1/2007/08/20/real-what-is-real/ i’ve always held this strong desire to find the truth in what is reality. what is real? how do we know that which we believe is real is in fact real? reality, after all, is simply that which our minds tell us is real. so in fact reality for all of us could very well be in fact a flat-out lie. or, what if our reality was simply a simulation of sorts, similar to simulations in computer games like simcity or secondlife? an article published in the nytimes last week discussed a similar idea, whereby “if you accept a pretty reasonable assumption of Dr. Bostrom’s, it is almost a mathematical certainty that we are living in someone else’s computer simulation.” to further explain:

“This simulation would be similar to the one in “The Matrix,â€? in which most humans don’t realize that their lives and their world are just illusions created in their brains while their bodies are suspended in vats of liquid. But in Dr. Bostrom’s notion of reality, you wouldn’t even have a body made of flesh. Your brain would exist only as a network of computer circuits…

“Dr. Bostrom assumes that technological advances could produce a computer with more processing power than all the brains in the world, and that advanced humans, or “posthumans,â€? could run “ancestor simulationsâ€? of their evolutionary history by creating virtual worlds inhabited by virtual people with fully developed virtual nervous systems.”

there have been several journal articles written about this as well, one asking “Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?“, one discussing “The Matrix as Metaphysics” and another telling us “How to Live in a Simulation” just in case we really are.

so again, what is real? reality? we can’t look to truth for the definition of reality as truth is essentially a consensus among a group of two or more individuals about a particular event, interpretation or experience. if you’re a realist like myself, then you believe the world is comprised of a conglomeration of definite facts that exist independently of humans, beliefs or perceptions. as the philosopher ludwig wittgenstein stated, “The world is all that is the case.” can we arrive at reality from existance (i.e. “to be real” and “to exist” are one in the same)? though if youi feel reality is simply that which we observe, perceive or experience, then isn’t that moving more towards truth?

in the end, couldn’t it be argued that truth and reality essentially don’t exist?

]]> http://www.subintroversion.com/v2/2007/08/20/real-what-is-real/feed/ 0