Comments on: Proof that we’re living in a computer simulation? http://bigbigquestion.com/2008/03/25/proof-that-were-living-in-a-computer-simulation/ Question As Conversation Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:37:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: ross http://bigbigquestion.com/2008/03/25/proof-that-were-living-in-a-computer-simulation/#comment-18353 ross Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:30:31 +0000 http://bigbigquestion.com/2008/03/25/proof-that-were-living-in-a-computer-simulation/#comment-18353 The concept is too complex for a one or two paragraph question setup. For example - is the simulation in question one that has simulated everything since the big-bang? IS there a 'subject' of the simulation - ie is the simulation a study of me, and all the other people are estimates (e.g. Jean-Francois in paris is not simulated, because he exists only as a name in phone-book, unless I jump on a plane and try to find him, in which case his entity is created and run). Alternatively the simulation may only simulate the last 30 seconds. All the stuff that appears to be previous years of your life is just a pre-loaded initial condition. You never actually skinned your knee in first grade, that is a background story in your brain. We just part of a repetitive simulation of about five minutes of existence that runs over and over. It's always just this particular 5minutes, and the previous stuff is a pre-load. Even when you think back '10 years from now' about reading this comment, you didn't actually read it 10 years ago, it was preloaded 30seconds ago. And as Dan Miller says, there's more... So we need to establish which of the many simulation scenarios are we potentially in... then look to poke holes in that. The concept is too complex for a one or two paragraph question setup. For example - is the simulation in question one that has simulated everything since the big-bang? IS there a ’subject’ of the simulation - ie is the simulation a study of me, and all the other people are estimates (e.g. Jean-Francois in paris is not simulated, because he exists only as a name in phone-book, unless I jump on a plane and try to find him, in which case his entity is created and run). Alternatively the simulation may only simulate the last 30 seconds. All the stuff that appears to be previous years of your life is just a pre-loaded initial condition. You never actually skinned your knee in first grade, that is a background story in your brain. We just part of a repetitive simulation of about five minutes of existence that runs over and over. It’s always just this particular 5minutes, and the previous stuff is a pre-load. Even when you think back ‘10 years from now’ about reading this comment, you didn’t actually read it 10 years ago, it was preloaded 30seconds ago.

And as Dan Miller says, there’s more… So we need to establish which of the many simulation scenarios are we potentially in… then look to poke holes in that.

]]> By: dan miller http://bigbigquestion.com/2008/03/25/proof-that-were-living-in-a-computer-simulation/#comment-1794 dan miller Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:56:30 +0000 http://bigbigquestion.com/2008/03/25/proof-that-were-living-in-a-computer-simulation/#comment-1794 Ed Fredkin argues that the reason we must be in a computer simulation is that the initial conditions (the Big Bang in our standard model of physics) is absurdly improbable. In fact, normal physics appears to break down as you go back in time to the initial event (the inflationary model). Other hints: quantization (implies finite information; ie real numbers rounded to integers or fixed-point), and relativity (limit on information flow speed implies a network model, ie massively parallel computing with bandwidth considerations) there's more but chew on this first Ed Fredkin argues that the reason we must be in a computer simulation is that the initial conditions (the Big Bang in our standard model of physics) is absurdly improbable. In fact, normal physics appears to break down as you go back in time to the initial event (the inflationary model).

Other hints: quantization (implies finite information; ie real numbers rounded to integers or fixed-point), and relativity (limit on information flow speed implies a network model, ie massively parallel computing with bandwidth considerations)

there’s more but chew on this first

]]> By: edd http://bigbigquestion.com/2008/03/25/proof-that-were-living-in-a-computer-simulation/#comment-1784 edd Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:09:45 +0000 http://bigbigquestion.com/2008/03/25/proof-that-were-living-in-a-computer-simulation/#comment-1784 In an effort to save memory, certain pieces of information will be reused, leading to seeing dopplegangers of people you know, the occasional strange feeling that you've seen something before somewhere else and strange coincidences coming up more often than they should. Speaking of which, I know that house in the photo on that simulation argument webpage. In an effort to save memory, certain pieces of information will be reused, leading to seeing dopplegangers of people you know, the occasional strange feeling that you’ve seen something before somewhere else and strange coincidences coming up more often than they should.

Speaking of which, I know that house in the photo on that simulation argument webpage.

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