Simulated reality - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - The Diigo Meta page

• 07 May 15
  

  casanovaminh

  physics quantum philosophy holo bohm reality simulation virtual_reality

• 25 Apr 14
  

  fredrik_doberl

  Discussion w JDO

  JDO simulated-reality

  • Simulated reality
  • Simulated reality is the hypothesis that reality could be simulated—for example by computer simulation—to a degree indistinguishable from "true" reality, and may in fact be such a simulation. It could contain conscious minds which may or may not be fully aware that they are living inside a simulation.
  • The simulation hypothesis was first published by Hans Moravec.^[1][2][3] Later, the philosopher Nick Bostrom developed an expanded argument examining the probability of our reality being a simulacrum.^[4] His argument states that at least one of the following statements is very likely to be true
  • 1. Human civilization is unlikely to reach a level of technological maturity capable of producing simulated realities, or such simulations are physically impossible to construct.
  • 2. A comparable civilization reaching aforementioned technological status will likely not produce a significant number of simulated realities (one that might push the probable existence of digital entities beyond the probable number of "real" entities in a Universe) for any of a number of reasons, such as, diversion of computational processing power for other tasks, ethical considerations of holding entities captive in simulated realities, etc
  • 3. Any entities with our general set of experiences are almost certainly living in a simulation.
  • Computationalism is a philosophy of mind theory stating that cognition is a form of computation. It is relevant to the Simulation hypothesis in that it illustrates how a simulation could contain conscious subjects, as required by a "virtual people" simulation. For example, it is well known that physical systems can be simulated to some degree of accuracy. If computationalism is correct, and if there is no problem in generating artificial consciousness or cognition, it would establish the theoretical possibility of a simulated reality. However, the relationship between cognition and phenomenal qualia of consciousness is disputed. It is possible that consciousness requires a vital substrate that a computer cannot provide, and that simulated people, while behaving appropriately, would be philosophical zombies
  • This would undermine Nick Bostrom's simulation argument; we cannot be a simulate consciousness, if consciousness, as we know it, cannot be simulated. However, the skeptical hypothesis remains intact, we could still be envatted brains, existing as conscious beings within a simulated environment, even if consciousness cannot be simulated.
  • Computability of physics
  • A decisive refutation of any claim that our reality is computer-simulated would be the discovery of some uncomputable physics, because if reality is doing something that no computer can do, it cannot be a computer simulation.
  • n fact, known physics is held to be (Turing) computable,^[13] but the statement "physics is computable" needs to be qualified in various ways.
  • This runs counter, however, to the idea of simulating physics in real time (or any plausible kind of time). Known physical laws (including those of quantum mechanics) are very much infused with real numbers and continua, and the universe seems to be able to decide their values on a moment-by-moment basis
  • As Richard Feynman put it:^[15]
  • "It always bothers me that, according to the laws as we understand them today, it takes a computing machine an infinite number of logical operations to figure out what goes on in no matter how tiny a region of space, and no matter how tiny a region of time. How can all that be going on in that tiny space? Why should it take an infinite amount of logic to figure out what one tiny piece of space/time is going to do? So I have often made the hypotheses that ultimately physics will not require a mathematical statement, that in the end the machinery will be revealed, and the laws will turn out to be simple, like the chequer board with all its apparent complexities".
  • Roger Penrose, an English mathematical physicist, presents the argument that human consciousness is non-algorithmic, and thus is not capable of being modeled by a conventional Turing machine-type of digital computer. Penrose hypothesizes that quantum mechanics plays an essential role in the understanding of human consciousness. The collapse of the quantum wavefunction is seen as playing an important role in brain function.
  • In his book The Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch discusses how the limits to computability imposed by Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem affects the Virtual Reality rendering process.
  • Later on in the book, Deutsch goes on to argue for a very strong version of the Turing principle, namely: "It is possible to build a virtual reality generator whose repertoire includes every physically possible environment." However, in order to include every physically possible environment, the computer would have to be able to include a full simulation of the environment containing itself. Even so, a computer running a simulation need not have to run every possible physical moment to be plausible to its inhabitants.

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• 10 Oct 13
  

  Dmitry Nekhan

  Simulated reality is the hypothesis that reality could be simulated—for example by computer simulation—to a degree indistinguishable from "true" reality, and may in fact be such a simulation. It could contain conscious minds which may or may not be fully aware that they are living inside a simulation.

  _re_

• 05 Jan 13
  

  Christoph Dorn
  • "It always bothers me that, according to the laws as we understand them today, it takes a computing machine an infinite number of logical operations to figure out what goes on in no matter how tiny a region of space, and no matter how tiny a region of time. How can all that be going on in that tiny space? Why should it take an infinite amount of logic to figure out what one tiny piece of space/time is going to do? So I have often made the hypotheses that ultimately physics will not require a mathematical statement, that in the end the machinery will be revealed, and the laws will turn out to be simple, like the chequer board with all its apparent complexities".
• 03 Jan 13
  

  alexander quixote

  abiogenesis cracked

  • The simulation hypothesis was first published by Hans Moravec.^[1][2][3] Later, the philosopher Nick Bostrom developed an argument distinct from the skeptical hypothesis, that we may be living in a simulation.^[4] Roughly, his argument proceeds as follows:

     

     

    i. Human descendants might not survive long enough to achieve an advanced civilization capable of creating computer simulations that host simulated people with artificial intelligence (AI) comparable to the natural faculties of their ancestors.

     

    ii. Such ancestral simulations might be intellectually or culturally prohibited in some way, even a modest interest could plausibly generate billions of simulated people (for research, genealogy, reenactment, nostalgia, recreation or other reasons).

     

    iii. Informing an artificial person that they are living in a simulation would defeat the authenticity of the simulation — better that they genuinely go about their daily business, for all intents and purposes, given a high-fidelity historical reproduction of the real world.

     

    Barring extinction or prohibition, it is much more likely than not, that we are living in such a simulation — and should it come to pass that we, ourselves, run such simulations, it is all but certain.

     

     

    In greater detail, Bostrom is attempting to prove a tripartite disjunction, that at least one of these propositions must be true. His argument rests on the premise that given sufficiently advanced technology, it is possible to represent the populated surface of the Earth without recourse to quantum simulation; that the qualia experienced by a simulated consciousness is comparable or equivalent to that of a naturally occurring human consciousness; and that one or more levels of simulation within simulations would be feasible given only a modest expenditure of computational resources in the real world.

  • If one assumes that humans will not be destroyed or destroy themselves before developing such a technology; and if one assumes that human descendants will have no overriding legal restrictions or moral compunctions against simulating their ancestors; it would be unreasonable to count ourselves among the small minority of genuine ancestors who, sooner or later, will be vastly outnumbered by artificial simulations.

     

    Epistemologically, it is not impossible to tell whether we are living in a simulation. For example, Bostrom suggests that a window could popup saying: "You are living in a simulation. Click here for more information." However, imperfections in a simulated environment might be difficult for the native inhabitants to identify, and for purposes of authenticity, even the simulated memory of a blatant revelation might be purged programmatically. Nonetheless, should any evidence come to light, either for or against the skeptical hypothesis, it would radically alter the aforementioned probability.
• 26 Sep 12
  

  luisbarbeiro

• 09 Jul 12
  

  Chris Paizis

  Simulated reality is the skeptical hypothesis that reality could be simulated—perhaps by computer simulation—to a degree indistinguishable from "true" reality. It could contain conscious minds which may or may not be fully aware that they are living inside a simulation.

  • Simulated reality is the skeptical hypothesis that reality could be simulated—perhaps by computer simulation—to a degree indistinguishable from "true" reality. It could contain conscious minds which may or may not be fully aware that they are living inside a simulation.
  • Simulated reality is a theme that pre-dates science fiction. In Medieval and Renaissance religious theatre, the concept of the world as theater is frequent.
• 06 Nov 11
  

  amanda gould
• 19 Oct 11
  

  Maxim Safioulline

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• 19 Sep 11
  

  Jayan Nair

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• 21 Nov 10
  

  amandasymnds

  Unlabeled

• 16 Oct 10
  

  Alonzo Wilkins
  • Simulated reality is the proposition that reality could be simulated—perhaps by computer  simulation—to a degree indistinguishable from "true" reality. It could contain conscious minds which may or  may not be fully aware that they are living inside a simulation. In its  strongest form, the "simulation hypothesis" claims it is  entirely possible and even probable that we are living in a simulated reality
• 03 Sep 10
  

  rob jaqian

  simulation singularity universe

• 04 Aug 10
  

  Peter Beaumont

  Some types of simulated reality.

  virtual_reality virtual_worlds

• 08 Dec 09
  

  prap2577

  telepresence

• 21 Jun 09
  

  my serendipities

  Simulated reality is the proposition that reality could be simulated—perhaps by computer simulation—to a degree indistinguishable from "true" reality. It could contain conscious minds which may or may not know that they are living inside a simulation. In

  virtual_reality cyberspace research theory wikipedia

• 29 Mar 09
  

  Matt Gillman

  philosophy simulation reality

• 19 Jan 09
  

  Cassio Melo

  singularity

• 21 Sep 08
  

  Alexander Lockshyn

  cyberpunk

• 18 Sep 08
  

  elvisofdallas

  religion reference future Matrix reality singularity List delicious

• 19 Aug 08
  

  Flavio Ensiki

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• 04 Jun 08
  

  Adam Crowe

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• 14 Mar 08
  

  nichol alexander

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• 09 Jan 08
  

  jaakkokeskari

  simulation

• 29 Dec 07
  

  Eric Rice

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• 06 Nov 07
  

  kamyar

  simulation reality vnex

• 

  simulated_reality virtual_reality

  • Nick Bostrom's argument

     

    The philosopher Nick Bostrom investigated the possibility that we may be living in a simulation.^[1] A simplified version of his argument is:

     

     

    i. It is possible that a civilization could create a computer simulation which contains individuals with artificial intelligence.

     

    ii. Such a civilization would likely run many – say billions – of these simulations (just for fun; for research, etc.)

     

    iii. A simulated individual inside the simulation wouldn’t know that it’s inside a simulation – it’s just going about its daily business in what it considers the “real world”.

     

     

    Then the ultimate question is – if one accepts that points 1-2-3 are at least possible, which of the following is more likely?

     

     

    a. We are the one civilization out there in the universe that will eventually develop the ability to run AI simulations? Or,

     

    b. We are one of the billions of simulations that has run? (Remember point iii.)

     

     

    In greater detail, his argument attempts to prove the trichotomy, that:

     

     

    either

     

     
     
    1. intelligent races will never reach a level of technology where they can run simulations of reality so detailed they can be mistaken for reality; or
     
    2. races who do reach such a level do not tend to run such simulations; or
     
    3. we are almost certainly living in such a simulation.

  • Frank Tipler's Omega Point

     

    Physicist Frank Tipler envisages a similar scenario to Nick Bostrom's argument: a hypothetical cosmological scenario where, as the Universe comes to an end in a Big Crunch, the computational capacity of the Universe is capable of increasing at a sufficient rate that this computation rate is accelerating hyperbolically faster than time runs out. In principle, a simulation run on this Universe-computer can thus continue forever in its own terms, even though the external Universe lasts only a finite time.

     

    The implication of this theory for present-day humans is that this ultimate cosmic computer will essentially be able to resurrect everyone who has ever lived, by recreating all possible quantum brain states within the master simulation.
• 01 Oct 07
  

  wendy phillips

  simulation reality technology simulacra singularity

• 13 Sep 07
  

  Marcirio Chaves

  Simulated reality is the idea that reality could be simulated — often computer-simulated — to a degree indistinguishable from 'true' reality. It could contain conscious minds which may or may not know that they are living inside a simulation. In its s

  philosophy simulation reality AI research religion technology life

• 12 Jul 07
  

  Luis Crespo

  matrix philosophy simulation wikipedia

• 10 Jan 06
  

  wiki

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