Are we living in a simulation?

Simulation, 2017

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According to "the simulation argument", put forward by philosopher & mathematician, Nick Bostrom, we are likely not living in a real universe, but living in a simulated one. And we are being simulated on the hard drives of computers of the future. How so?

Just follow a few simple steps:

1. Acknowledge that consciousness is (at the level of the brain) the result of information processing.

2. That at some point, consciousness will be instantiated in computers.

3. That humans of the future will run simulations just like we do now, some of which will be simulations of the past.

4. Simulated universes by definition will outnumber real ones, and so, we are more likely to be among the simulated ancestors of this universe.

It's an interesting idea, although I would argue that we don't have any good evidence for it and so the default position is not to believe it's true.

Nonetheless, having to grapple with this potential makes for a fascinating philosophical discussion.

Let me know in the comment section what you think. Thanks everyone!🖖🏼

• Check out my introduction post for a brief overview of my art and some notes on what I have in store for my blog.
• You can also check me out on Instagram and Ello
• For more on the simulation hypothesis, you can read Nick Bostrom's paper here.
• If you're interested in learning more about consciousness, I suggest grabbing a copy of Daniel Dennett's book Consciousness Explained.