Some people have the idea that we're probably all living in a computer simulation of a universe rather than an actual physical universe. Other people think this idea is wrong. Your task for this prompt is to figure out, as best you can if those who think we're all living in a computer simulation of a universe have proved it's probable we're all living in a computer simulation of a universe.
It may be impossible to prove, for certain, that we are not living in a simulation, just as it may be impossible to prove you're not dreaming, or that you're not in the matrix, or that solipcism is false. (If solipcism is true, then I exist, and you don't.)
Specifically, you
should figure out whether or not the people who believe we are living in
a simulation have proved that we are probably living in a simulation.
1. Find one argument in favor of the simulation hypothesis. ("Simpothesis.")
2. Find one argument against the simpothesis.
3. Figure out which argument is good and which argument is bad.
4. After figuring all this stuff out, write a paper in which you:
Put forward the conclusion of the good argument as your thesis.
Explain the good argument.
Explain the bad argument.
Explain what's wrong with the bad argument.
For my money, the best way to get into this topic is to discuss the trilemma
argument described by philosopher Nick Bostrom. (I don't think
that Bostrom himself believes that we're living in a simulation, but the
trilemma he describes can be taken as the basis for an argument that we are
most likely living in a simulation, so I'd like you to treat it as such.)
A good place to start would be Are
We Living in a Computer Simulation? - PBS
And for more information, you might read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulation_hypothesis
Simulating 1 second of human brain activity takes 82,944 processors
I suggest you watch the movie The 13th Floor or the miniseries World on a Wire to get a feel for how this all might work.
Any discussion of this issue should take into account the following facts:
1. Based on what we know about possible future computers, it's very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very unlikely that anyone anywhere will ever have even a tiny fraction of the computing power needed to make even a moderate-scale, (13th Floor-type) long-term universe simulation.
2. If anyone ever does have this capacity, a universe simulation would be very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very expensive to create and maintain.
3. It's hard to see that any civilization would really want to spend enormous resources creating and maintaining a simulated universe.
4. If there actually was a need to create a simulated universe, there doesn't seem to be any reason why the simulators would bother with the enormous expense of giving consciousness to the simulated people, since any knowledge we might want to learn from the simulation would seem to be achievable with less-expensive nonconscious simulated beings that just behaved like people.
And remember, if all they can do is prove that it's possible that we're in a simverse, then they've completely failed to prove that we're probably in a simverse.
You can look for arguments on both sides in the following webpages:
Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?Older links. (Some may be broken.)
Nick Bostrom's argument that we are living in a computer simulation,http://www.livescience.com/25579-what-if-reality-was-really-just-sim-universe.html
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/07/hologram-universe/
Is The Universe A Computer Simulation? Physicist Martin Savage (HuffPost)
http://news.discovery.com/space/are-we-living-in-a-computer-simulation-2-121216.htm
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/simulatedlife.php#.VIkuajHF9MU
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/compsimulationtests.php#.VIkubjHF9MU
To get an emotional feel for the idea, you could find and watch the film The Thirteenth Floor
Bostrom doesn't mention the important fact that, if we made a simverse, it would not be us that were in inside the simverse. It would be digital copies of ourselves. Flesh-and-blood humans cannot be moved into a digital world. in theory, their minds can be copied, but those minds cannot be moved. If we made a simverse and put a copy of you into it, you would still be walking around in the world while the copy went about its digital business (unless they killed you.)
For a contrary view, watch The Simulation Hypothesis is Pseudoscience
Make sure you follow all the advice and instructions in the Odyssey Instructions
