DECEPTION-This post follows on the heels of my recent viewing of the movie "Inception" in which reality is distorted by tapping into the subconscious mind using dreams as a weapon to infiltrate and exploit actuality. The first film that triggered my consideration about the possibility of an altered or false state of reality was "The Matrix," in which our world is really a computer simulation that is engineered by sentient machines that are enslaving the human race simply to harness energy for their own survival. These ideas pose relevant alternatives to what we perceive as "truth."
However unlikely the possibility of any of this happening or have happened is irrelevant to the fact that it IS possible. Just think for a moment about the video game "The Sims." We have already created artificial intelligence that can simulate and project our behavior as a species, and it can give us valuable feedback for the choices to be made about our own future. What better way to test the future than by a simulation? This brings me to my main point and that is Oxford University Professor Nick Bostrom's "simulated reality hypothesis." It states the following:
i. It is possible that an advanced civilization could create a computer simulation which contains individuals with artificial intelligence (AI).
ii. Such a civilization would likely run many, billions for example, of these simulations (just for fun, for research or any other permutation of possible reasons.)
iii. A simulated individual inside the simulation wouldn’t necessarily know that it is inside a simulation — it is just going about its daily business in what it considers to be the "real world."
Then the ultimate question is — if one accepts that the above premises are at least possible — which of the following is more likely?
a. We are the one civilization which develops AI simulations and happens not to be in one itself?
b. We are one of the many (billions) of simulations that has run? (Remember point iii.)
In greater detail, his argument attempts to prove the trichotomy, either that:
1.intelligent races will never reach a level of technology where they can run simulations of reality so detailed they can be mistaken for reality (assuming that this is possible in principle); or
2.races who do reach such a sophisticated level do not tend to run such simulations; or
3.we are almost certainly living in such a simulation.(1)
Many have proposed that our universe is much too old (13.75 billion years) to have NOT evolved life that is far more technologically capable than our own, yet many of us never give this possibility a single thought.
Furthermore, another idea for reality that envelopes the ideas from the movie "Inception" is the "dream argument." It states that:
A futuristic technology is not required to create a simulated reality, but rather, all that is needed is a human brain. More specifically, the mind's ability to create simulated realities during REM sleep affects the statistical likelihood of our own reality being simulated.(2)
If my purpose holds, then by now, you will have at the very least become skeptical of what you think you know about reality because it could very well be false. I concede that we may never know for sure what constitutes "real," but let us use our creativity to guide us to truth, and maybe some day, our children's children will innocently laugh at our ignorance.
Sources:
1. http://www.simulation-argument.com/matrix.html
2. http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bttg3B5CZOIC&oi=fnd&pg=PA96&dq=dreaming+simulated+reality&ots=iPQG-evOVr&sig=_7NT_42ES4XXK8iXz02Necg5W9c#v=onepage&q=dreaming%20simulated%20reality&f=false
4 comments:
I Like this post. Allow me to elaborate further on this. I don't think that it is possible to run a "Full Simulation" of life, as of yet. However, at the current rate of technological advances, it may very well be possible in the near future. As of right now, it is still up to the programmer to set up the parameters for a simulation to progress. (AI), or "Artificial" Intelligence, is an oxymoron, IMO. Something cannot have true intelligence, if it is manufactured.
I believe that we as humans STILL haven't been fully awakened yet. Scientists say that we only use something like 20% of our brain's capacity. If this is scientifically sound, maybe we are in some sort of "Trial Period". That kinda makes sense. What is to become of us when we do learn to use the other 80%? What will this mean for humanity? Maybe we, being made in God's image, have the ability to create AI, as that is what is made into US. Maybe our intelligence is "Artificial" to what the 100% true reality is for everything.
I happen to believe that what our physical, photo sensitive eyes. are incapable of seeing, is a whole other dimension that exists around us. We can only perceive what we can see. What about what we can't see? The proverbial "4th Dimension".
Our subconscious mind is indeed very powerful. I think that when we enter into REM, in some sense, during this phase of what I call a "Meditative State", We can perceive parts of this other dimension, without the use of our physical eyes. Our mind is capable of sensing it, but our eyes won't allow us to believe it.
So, maybe we are stuck in some sort of "Simulation", at this point in our existence. Maybe our intelligence is "Manufactured". But by whom?
I think that those are the questions that we, as human beings, should always seek. We can imagine anything. I LOVE what my imagination has allowed me to perceive. And people who imagined that we are living in a Matrix. Or what could've happened "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...." It is awesome that we have the ability to "Imagine" That is what sets us apart from any other known form of life. To me that is (TI)..."True Intelligence". If it is merely a simulation, then I can't wait to finally see the 100% true reality, that we have yet to find... Great topic!!!
It's interesting to think about the old saying "we only use 10% of our brain." That may be, in fact, true if we think in terms of ceilings. For example, when I drive 40mph, I'm using only a certain percentage of my engine's potential, but THERE IS MOST DEFINITELY A CEILING. Sometimes I feel like I hit my brain's ceiling when trying to digest too much information. Yes, it's true that maybe our brains don't have a "HARD DRIVE FULL" error message, but who knows? Maybe there is a "full potential" instead of infinite potential. Maybe we only need 10 gigs of space with a 100 gig hard drive? And then you have the debate of telekinesis or psychokinesis. There's about zilch scientific evidence for it being true, but just as in "The Matrix" if someone perceives the spoon to bend, then to them, it bends whether or not it "really" bent.
I catch myself being enamored with the mind, but sometimes I feel pretty damn primitive. I think the human species is arrogant to think we are the "best" when in all reality, it comes down to survival and every other modern species living today has been just as effective or even more effective in propogating their genes. It, however, is truly fascinating that we are the first species to be aware that it will die, and the first species to use contraception. You are right, I think, that we are at a point like no other in history, but unlike you, I believe Darwinian evolution can explain this without needind God. Yes, evolution doesn't explain abiogenesis, but scientists are getting reallllly close to forming life from non-life in the lab. Very awesome stuff.
The problem I have with Darwin's "Theory" of evolution, is precisely that! It is a theory. What is a theory? I think it means "Best Guess", given an amount of evidence based on a certain subject. Darwinism is not a proven fact. I don't know of any recorded fact of a species, of any kind, "Evolving" and becoming something different than it previously was. "Adapting" to it's surroundings? Absolutely! But not evolving. I may be misconstrued on this. Not sure.
This thought has always brought me back to Why? Why are we the only ones that have our level of consciousness? If evolution were true, then all the lifeforms on earth, that are decidedly older than humans, should be way more aware than us.
So instead of knowing that there is a God, like mankind has for years, because of his absence, we have to choose to believe a "Best Guess" on where we came from. I can't believe that. I believe that if evolution were a fact, it would still be part of God's plan. It's just too big to be explained by Mr. Darwin's Best Guess.
I think that God, while being "unseen" right now, has showed himself to us in the past. The ancients knew what he was. It didn't seem to be a "Best Guess" either. They documented it heavily. every society around the world has a God. I think that this is their own vision of God. The Indians (India), Asians, Middle Eastern nations, Europe, Native Americans, all seemed to come up with the same "God Theory" independently of each other, without having global contact with each other. It would seem that they all knew what God was. At least in theory. That would justify people like Confucius, Gandhi, and every other do gooder you can think of, having a place in God's day. If I have to choose a "Theory" to believe, I have to believe that we are all a product of "Higher Intelligence". Darwinism just doesn't do enough for me.
You're using the wrong application of "theory" like many people do. "Theory" has two common meanings. #1 is
•A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.
#2 is this:
•Abstract reasoning; speculation: a decision based on experience rather than theory.
#2 is the commonly misapplied one that is used by people saying evolution is "only a theory." Evolution is as much of a fact in the scientific community as gravity. It has mounds of evidence from every branch of science supporting it.
Regarding speciation, many observed laboratory experiments have observed speciation. http://human.freescience.org/htmx/speciation.php
Also, you should read "The Selfish Gene." We are "survival machines" for our genes. Just like plants and other animals are "survival machines" for their genes.
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