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Computer Simulated World

In: Computers and Technology

Submitted By JHuff89
Words 1814
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Introduction Conspiracy theories are some of the most talked about topics in the entire world. Many of the conspiracies out there range from either it’s possible to completely off the wall. The one conspiracy theory that caught my interest out of all the others though, was the idea that we are living in a computer simulation created by an intelligent race. Many of the most intelligent people in the world believe we are actually living in a computer simulated universe, and these are some of the most brilliant minds in the world. The computer simulation theory is primarily based around the matrix movie which I have a small picture of in Figure A (hitman, 2011), but not entirely based around it. In the theory, scientists believe that we are all in a computer simulation being run by a higher being or beings. One of the biggest arguments here would probably be that we have free will, so we cannot just be in a simulation. Many people believe though that God works in mysterious ways and in the end has a master plan for us all. What if God is just controlling us just like we control characters on games like the Sims, and we just think that we are actually in control of our destinies? One of the leading theories scientist claim proves this idea is the Brain-In-A-Vat Argument. In this theory a person’s brain is removed from their body and is floating in life sustaining fluid. The brain then is connected with wires that simulate the impulses it would normally be receiving, all being sent by the computer creating the simulation. The person would have all completely normal experiences without any of them being related to any objects or events in the real world. This would make it impossible for the person to discover that they were in a simulated world. They would go through life like any normal person without even knowing they were in a world created entirely by another human being. One of the other leading theories involves our world being an entire simulation built on a supercomputer. This idea revolves around our universe being little bits inside an alien computer. Basically it is an idea similar to that of the popular Sims games where the universe is in control by another person. This idea would make more sense, because the person controlling the simulated universe could now experience everything as they watch their creation unfold. The simulated universe then would have been entirely created for entertainment purposes only rather than the creator getting nothing from it like the brain-in-the-vat scenario. Another popular scientific argument goes even farther than the computer simulation theory. The simulation argument doesn’t just say we might be living in a computer simulation, it states that we probably are living in a computer simulated universe. The theory revolves around the fact that eventually technology will become so advanced that we will eventually build a computer simulated reality to visit our ancestors. What if the advanced society is already running the computer civilization, and we are unaware of this? Just like the Sims games one person controls thousands of other Sims characters, so why would it be so far-fetched to say that one being is controlling our universe right now as we speak? All of these different ideas are based on the fact that technology is rapidly developing every year. Each New Year brings with it a different device and another look into the inevitable future that is to come. When new technology comes out it is almost completely outdated a few months later by a new upgrade. So why would it be impossible for us to believe that technology might have already been advanced enough for someone to find a way to create a computer simulated world for their enjoyment? Everyone is always trying to prove that aliens exist, and this theory can prove just that. Aliens might be the ones controlling this so called universe that we are blindly living through day to day. Scientist also came up with a monkey universe theory to try to explain the computer simulated universe theory. In your mind picture a universe that could be created by a million monkeys randomly typing into a typewriter for ten hours a day. The probability of this happening is very small, but also not impossible. If the same monkeys type onto a computer instead of a type writer, the probability is much higher that one monkey might type a short computer program that could create the simulated universe. If you’re still entertaining the idea that the universe is created by a higher power, then this idea can be interpreted much differently. Entertaining this idea for a moment maybe the computer program is short because it is simple, and easier for the grand designer to create the simulated universe. The shorter program would be easier to design, making it more compact and an elegant solution for producing a complex universe. Everyone’s picture of the grand creator is always that he is super human, so what better way for him to be super human than to make a universe that you cannot comprehend. Anyone can explain how to assemble a model aircraft in 500 pages of instructions; it is not so easy to do it in 10 lines. Profound simplicity is far more impressive than profound complexity." (Thomas) There are many theories out there trying to explain how or why we might be living in a computer simulated universe. The Big Brother theory ask the question is it just coincidence that some of our favorite past times are watching shows like Big Brother and playing games like the Sims? Why would these forms of entertainment be so popular when all they consist of is different people living the lives we normally live? The theory suggests that years from now we might be interested enough to create an environment much like Big Brother or in other words a simulated reality. Theatrically it suggests that we might already be contestants in the ultimate game of Big Brother, and just be totally unaware of it. Living in a computer simulated world is a very intriguing idea to think about. Scientist have come up with millions of theories trying to prove and disprove this theory in any way they possibly can. Some scientists have come up with three other scenarios’ to prove why they think we are living in a computer simulated world. These scientists believe at least one of these three theories must be true if we are living in a computer simulated world. The first theory is that a fraction of human civilizations that exist when computer technology has advanced far enough to create such a complex simulation is very close to zero. Second, the number of beings in an advanced civilization that are interested or need to run a human simulation/ancestor simulation is close to zero. Lastly, the fraction of all people living with our kind of experience that are living in a computer simulation is very close to one. (Ghosts, 2012) Now if number one is true then our species and any other species in the universe that could have been capable of producing such a simulation would be extinct. If the second scenario is true, then the structure of any future civilization would not include the freedom to use or create computers, and no one would have the interest or the money to learn about their ancestors. Now if the third is correct, then we are most likely living in a computer simulation as we speak. There would of course have to have been an original civilization that created the computer simulated world. If you do the math though there could only be one true world, and could be an endless amount of computer simulated worlds. This of course would mean that the chances of us actually being real are slim to none. We in fact would be part of the computer simulated world created by the original civilization. This theory would also mean that the original civilization would not have to be from this Earth as well. This would tie in all the alien and UFO sightings that people claim to have crossed paths with in their lifetimes. The scenario might be something like this. In the year 4050 a highly advanced civilization lands on the broken planet once known as Earth. The visitors discover that at one point there used to be life on this desolate little planet. In order to learn more about the inhabitants of the planet they have landed on they decide to use their computer technology to recreate the entire planet. There have been references to this very paragraph in a very famous book called the Bible. Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 1:25-26 “And God made the beasts of the earth after their kinds, and cattle after their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the earth after its kind: and God saw that it was good.” (Ghosts, 2012) Even in the Bible it refers to a powerful being that create life from nothing. If God is the creator then why would it be so hard to believe that we might just being living in a computer simulated world create by the all mighty creator? Either way you interpret it, we can all agree that there had to be a creator of the world we live in today. In conclusion, technology is rapidly evolving every year, and what is new today is obsolete tomorrow. We have already created robots that do almost everything so how long is it going to be before we have created human clones that mimic our every move? Whether you believe it or not, you might be living in a reality created by someone else. Figure A

In the Matrix they create a computer simulated world that they infuse into Neo’s brain making him believe he’s in the real world. There is no way for him to know if what he is seeing is real or not, because his brain is telling him everything around him is real.

Works Cited
Ghosts, M. (2012, January 13). Simulation Argument: World’s Greatest Conspiracy Theory? Retrieved February 24, 2014, from Global Paranormal: http://globalparanormal.com/simulation-argument-greatest-conspiracy-theory/ hitman, m. (2011). Are We Living In A Computer Simulation ? Retrieved from USA Hitman: http://usahitman.com/human-sim/
Thomas, A. (n.d.). Living In The Matrix. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from Ipod.org: http://www.ipod.org.uk/reality/reality_simulated_reality.asp

What is real and what is not:
Era shrouded in mystery
ITT Tech

John Huff

Strategies
Dr. Beatty
February 24, 2014

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