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The Simulation Hypothesis In Outline Form

INTRODUCTION: The odds are fairly high that we reside in a computer software generated simulation (video game) universe. The chain of logic leading to this conclusion and what a simulated Universe might help explain, are outlined.

 

EVOLUTION: In the beginning…

 

There was a natural cause and effect origin to our Universe – the Big Bang event (or something closely related).

 

From that event the galaxies formed – naturally – galaxies comprised of naturally formed stars, planets and associated debris (like interstellar gas and dust).

 

On one or more (probably lots more) of these planets there was a natural origin of life event resulting in first a sort of proto-cell, hence a simple, probably unicellular life form.

 

Such life forms could naturally spread throughout the galaxy via various panspermia mechanisms.

 

From these simple proto-cells/unicellular life forms, via a process termed ‘evolution by natural selection', there arose ever more structured and complex multicellular life forms.

 

Some of those multicellular life forms, via evolutionary pressures, gained an attribute which we call ‘intelligence' – the ability to figure things out.

 

Levels of intelligence varied from species to species depending on the specific requirements for their survival needs. Not all species need intelligence to be successful at survival.   

 

In some species however, intelligence aided survival and reached levels where the species concerned could manipulate objects in their environment to their advantage.

 

These species could build structures and make use of primitive tools and exhibit behaviour that wasn't just on a purely instinctive (hardwired) level. [Birds, beavers, ants, termites, spiders, bees, etc. all build structures but purely by instinct, not conscious design.]

 

From that point, tool use and environmental manipulation could grow ever more sophisticated until ultimately there was a subtle crossing of the threshold between the natural environment controlling the species and the species controlling the environment.

 

Now things get interesting because that subtle shift is an evolution from the natural towards the artificial – from natural selection to artificial selection.

 

Our species can now construct artificial environments and products – cities, houses and other artificial artefacts – and manipulate them to their advantage.

 

The species has now evolved a sophisticated technology.

 

Part of that technology can be put to use to artificially simulate the…

 

Origin and evolution of the Universe, galaxies, stars, planets and associated debris. [This is a standard tool of theoretical cosmologists and astrophysicists.]

 

Technology can simulate possible ways leading to (and maybe ultimately recreate) life's origins – plural since it may be possible for there to be more than one pathway to an origin of life event.

 

Technology can now simulate actual or potential biological evolutionary pathways (the roads not taken) up through and including the development of high levels of intelligence.

 

Simulation technology can hence simulate the artificial technological environments that helped create the simulation technology in the first place.

 

Such simulations might simulate or recreate the actual roads taken as well as roads not taken (perhaps what we'd call ‘fiction').

 

Ultimately, the sophistication of the simulation technology will be such that one can not tell apart simulated ‘reality' from the actual ‘reality' it's simulating.

 

This is akin to the Turing test for artificial intelligence (A.I.) where if you (in one closed room) hold a conversation with a fellow human being, and an artificially constructed ‘intelligence' (like those talking computers in Star Trek) who are in a separate closed room, without being able to ultimately figure out which was which or who was who, then you'd have to accept the fact that A.I. exists.

 

We need to pause here and note that while there is but one real Universe we need concern ourselves with, there could be, within that Universe, thanks to intelligent technologically minded species scattered throughout, the creation of thousands, millions, even billions or more simulated universes or parts thereof.

 

One of the parts thereof could be the part containing ourselves and our immediate surroundings and environment.

 

EXPLANATIONS: The usual ways and means of explaining all things in our life, the Universe and everything is to observe and research the natural – what's Mother Nature up to? That's one possibility. The second is to appeal to a supernatural creator being – God. But there's another- the idea that we're part and parcel of a simulated universe. However, the simulation idea is as much of a copout in explaining life, the Universe, and everything as that of a supernatural creator God, in that anything goes. No matter what, it's explainable. However, the simulation idea does a better job of rationally or logically explaining a few things that to date just aren't really explainable in the same satisfactory sense, even when appealing to a supernatural God. The key difference is that one assumes a supernatural God is rational, all powerful, all knowing, and infallible. His life, the Universe and everything should make sense and be totally comprehensible to those creatures (us) supposedly created in His image. However, a Supreme Simulator being, being a biological being (say for argument a human being) does not have the attributes of a supposed supernatural God. A Supreme Simulator's life, the Universe and everything will not always be rational and make sense and be comprehensible because the Supreme Simulator is not infallible or all knowing or all powerful, and thus his (small ‘h') creation – his simulation of life, the Universe and everything – will not always be comprehendible to the great unwashed. But, by postulating a fallible Supreme Simulator, a lot of puzzlements start to fall into place.

 

Overall, there appears to be a quasi-artificial structure to the Universe over many scales or orders of magnitude. That is, there seems to be a sort of fractal pattern, a pattern that repeats from the micro through the macro, the macro squared, the macro cubed, etc. There appears to be intense concentrations of matter/energy separated by vast distances from the nearest similar concentrations of matter/energy. For example, an atomic nucleus is vastly separated from a ‘nearby' atomic nucleus. Translated, even in a ‘solid' object, most of the space is just that – space, empty space. Stars are vastly distant from their stellar neighbours relative to the size of typical stars. Galaxies are concentrations of stars, but galaxies are separated by vast distances, distances vastly larger than the dimensions of galaxies themselves. Moving on up the scale of structure, clusters of galaxies mirror the same pattern, in that clusters of galaxies are widely separated. Ditto super-clusters of galaxies shun other super-clusters of galaxies. Finally, entire walls of galactic conglomerations feature, but separated by vast voids where little matter/energy resides. It's like the bubbly foam when you shake up a soft drink – there are walls, the surfaces of the bubbles that enclose large volumes of empty space. From the incomprehensibility of the extremely tiny to the incomprehensibility of the incredibility vast, there's empty space that alternates with regions of high density. Now, the question is, would such a regular pattern happen naturally, via Mother Nature, or would it be the result of deliberate planning, say by a Supreme Simulator? 

 

In cosmology, there's a fundamental imbalance between the relative amounts of matter and antimatter that just shouldn't be. Physics predict that there should be equal amounts of matter and antimatter in the Universe because equal amounts should have been created ‘in the beginning'. There apparently isn't, so there apparently wasn't. Why that is so is of fundamental importance. You wouldn't expect God or Mother Nature to goof this up.

 

In cosmology, ‘dark energy' is apparently causing our expanding Universe to accelerate that expansion rate ever faster and faster. Trouble is, the greater the expanded space, the more ‘dark energy' exists which further creates more space creating more ‘dark energy' in a never ending vicious circle. So ‘dark energy' is apparently being continually created out of absolutely nothing in total violation of the conservation laws of physics, a concept drummed into every high school student's grey matter. Again, God or Mother Nature is unlikely to create exceptions to an otherwise apparently universal rule.

 

In astronomy, there are distant objects (quasars) with wildly differing red-shifts (velocities) which are apparently connected or in close association. If true, it makes a mockery of physics as we know it. I'm sure God or Mother Nature doesn't make a mockery of physics.

 

Why are there two separate and apart sets of software running the Universe? There's the three quantum forces (electromagnetism, the strong nuclear and the weak nuclear) and then there's gravity. These two arenas, the micro scale quantum and the macro scale where gravity holds sway, just can not be unified, despite attempts by the greatest intellects over many, many decades. Is this the result of an all knowing, all powerful creator God? Would Mother Nature design more than one unified software package when creating Her Universe? 

 

There's a concept in physics called the vacuum energy which has been experimentally verified. The trouble is, there are 120 orders of magnitude difference between those experimental results and what theory predicted. It's the worst discrepancy ever known in science between theoretical expectations and experimental results. To put that in perspective, the difference between one and one hundred is only two orders of magnitude; between one and one thousand is three orders of magnitude; between one and ten thousand is four orders of magnitude, etc.  120 orders of magnitude difference boggles the mind. Something sure is screwy somewhere, and I'm reluctant to blame God or Mother Nature for the stuff up.

 

Physical constants, like the fine structured constant – aren't. How can you have a constant in physics that refuses to stick to a constant value? That's hardly a rational action of a God or Mother Nature.

 

Then there's the whole category of quantum weirdness. First up, we have the phenomena of wave-particle duality where sometimes an electron (for example) behaves like a wave; other times like it's a tiny billiard ball.  Secondly, quantum entanglement where two elementary particles light years apart can seemingly ‘communicate' with each other instantaneously (something Einstein called "spooky action at a distance"). All things quantum are nightmares created by an irrational mind – hardly the stuff worthy of a God or Mother Nature.

 

Why are all members of any one of the types of fundamental particles identical? Well, the simulation software code for each type of particle is the exact same, so the particles are the same.

 

Who ordered that? Speaking of the elementary particles, there's not only a 2nd generation or family of these fundamental particles, but a 3rd generation as well. Why is there a second and third generation or family of the elementary particles that play no role whatsoever in the physics of the Universe? Generation one is the electron, neutrino, up quark and down quark which make up the proton and neutron (and the antiparticle equivalents), but there's a second generation that's more massive (the muon instead of the electron but with the same charge) and ditto the third, in this case the electron equivalent being the tauon with the same charge. The interesting bit is that they play absolutely no role in our everyday observable universe. Again, why these 2nd and 3rd generation family of particles? Again, why don't they play any role in life, the Universe and everything? What's the point of their being? Why create a second and third story on your house if you never use them? Strange doings! In the simulation scenario, well the Supreme Simulator says ‘it seemed like a good idea at the time, but they weren't ultimately needed'

 

That feeling of deja vu we all seemingly get once in a while. Well, our Supreme Simulator might stop, reverse, and restart bits and pieces of his overall simulation run – if we're in that part, well we get the feeling of ‘been there, done that'.

 

As a general rule of thumb, just about anything science says is near impossible, yet for which there's some degree of credible eyewitness testimony to the contrary, might be a candidate as a quirk courteous of our Supreme Simulator! Collectively, these topics fall under a general umbrella called ‘anomalies' and whole books can be read that are full of case histories. For example, your attention is directed to the many volumes compiled by William R. Corliss of anomalies culled from the scientific literature in his Sourcebook Project series. Then there are those wonderful collections of anomaly tomes penned by Charles Fort.

 

Crop circles have no adequate explanation. Theories revolving around the natural, or human, or alien ultimately make little if any sense. Perhaps crop circles are one of the Supreme Simulator's ways of making our hum-drum lives ‘interesting'.

 

Ghosts are explainable as a previously deleted simulated software program that still has some residue left.

 

The afterlife is just another piece of simulation software.

 

A final resolution to the ‘is there / isn't there' ‘free will' debate. There isn't – only the illusion of one – if we live in a simulated Universe. We dance to the tune of the programmer or ‘computer game' player, if player they be.  

 

So, in conclusion, to paraphrase a rather famous observation, the Universe is a rather anomalous place, and we probably haven't seen the end of the weirdness yet. I maintain it's plausible that some geek (maybe a highly technologically sophisticated extraterrestrial), somewhere out there, created a computer software generated simulation video game called "Planet Earth" or "The Universe" or some such, and, well, the rest is history and here we are.

About the Author

Science librarian; retired.

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