Interesting Engineering published an article about a new mathematical study that dismantles the simulation hypothesis once and for all.
The idea that we might be living inside a vast computer simulation, much like in The Matrix, has fascinated philosophers and scientists for years. But a new study from researchers at the University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus has delivered a decisive blow to that theory.
According to Dr. Mir Faizal, Adjunct Professor at UBC Okanagan's Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, and his international collaborators, the structure of reality itself makes simulation impossible.
Their work shows that no computer, no matter how advanced, could ever reproduce the fundamental workings of the universe.
Their research goes further than rejecting the simulation theory. It suggests that reality is built on a kind of understanding that cannot be reduced to computational rules or algorithms.
The researchers approached the simulation question through mathematics and physics rather than philosophy. They explored whether the laws governing the universe could, in theory, be recreated by a computer system.
"It has been suggested that the universe could be simulated," says Dr. Faizal. "If such a simulation were possible, the simulated universe could itself give rise to life, which in turn might create its own simulation.
This recursive possibility makes it seem highly unlikely that our universe is the original one, rather than a simulation nested within another simulation."
[Journal Reference]: https://jhap.du.ac.ir/article_488.html
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Tuesday November 04, @09:39PM
I mean, from a philosophical or ethical standpoint: Let's say that the universe is some sort of MMORPG. That doesn't make you not a selfish jerk if your version of living your fantasies is to be a selfish jerk.
That's why I in gaming I generally dislike playing evil runs or playing against humans: I don't get joy out of being mean to anybody.
"Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin