“Free your mind.” In the Matrix, this line marks the moment when Neo’s perception of the world collapses as he realizes that his “reality” is a simulation. However, while The Matrix has been labeled as pure science fiction, recent developments in technology have evolved this once “silly” idea into a serious philosophical and scientific discussion.
Known as the Simulation Theory, it’s the idea that the universe and the reality that we live in could be an artificial construct generated by computers. While this concept was limited to comics and movies, scientists and philosophers have recently stated that it is quite possible.
Modern Simulation Theory tracks back to Nick Bostrom, who proposed the idea that if at some time in the infinite time and space continuum humans are able to develop the technology to create a completely realistic artificial world, then by pure probability, there is a near-zero chance that we live in the original reality.
The math behind Bostrom’s thinking is simple: if humans ever create a fully realistic simulation, that simulated world could also, in turn, create its own simulation (think of a dollhouse inside a dollhouse). You can think of the original “real” world as Reality 1, and each new simulation inside it as Reality 2, Reality 3, and so on, with each one being the next generation of simulations being made. With this thinking, there are two options: we are either an artificial generation or we are the original generation. But how do we narrow down which one we are? The answer is, we must wait! If at some point we are able to create the technology of a completely realistic artificial world, then by math we can say that there is essentially a zero percent chance of us being the original world. This is because if we are able to develop this technology, then so can each following generation, meaning that there are an infinite number of realities. However, there is only one real reality, so based on probability, the chance of a world being the “real world” is 1 in Infiniti, which is zero.
However, Simulation Theory is unfalsifiable, meaning it can’t be tested. This is because one, if we are ever able to make this technology we will be unable to tell if the simulation humanity we make has real consciousness (so if the simulation actually could feel and have emotions like we do), and two anything that we find in our generation that proves or disproves this concept can’t be tested (it could just be how the universe works, or it could be the limits of the simulation, nonetheless we don’t know everything is purely speculation!).
Does it actually matter whether we live in a simulation? While the answer may not be known, find peace in the fact that if our experiences, choices, and consequences remain the same, simulation or not, then the answer is meaningless.
