Martin Rees - Are We Living in a Simulation?

Marton in my search among all different kinds of explanations for reality I came across the speculation that maybe our universe is a simulation of fake some people take it very seriously and I began to realize that in order to have a comprehensive look at reality maybe that's something we should consider you agree well it's a bit flaky but it's a fascinating idea and I think it really raises questions of what are the limits of the powers of computers of course being an astronomer myself I realize the importance of computers because we can't do experiments on stars and galaxies but we can have a virtual universe in our computer and imagine what happens if you crash galaxies together or valve stars etc so we can simulate some features of the universe in a gross sense in our computers and we have to ask if computers were to be vastly more powerful what could you simulate and that then of course raises the question could we ourselves be in such a simulation in some sort of computer which has been produced by some very very advanced civilization and that civilization of course itself may be computer-based because it could be that when we get beyond the human stage it will be a silicon-based intelligence just takes over from organic intelligence but it's not crazy to believe that at some time in the far future there could be computers which could do a simulation of a fairly large fraction of a world now the argument goes from there that if it's conceivable that it could happen at some future time that at that time it would become so prevalent so that if you look backwards the likelihood of any situation wherein would have a high likelihood that you're a simulation because if it could be done it would be done in enormous numbers of times that's right so if you imagine that intelligence develops as fast in the next five billion years as it has in the 5 billion years that have led from no life to us then indeed you could well imagine this happening and then as you say there would be more simulated universes than the original one and so why aren't we among the simulated ones and I think that's an interesting speculation of course how could we be sure we aren't in one I think something would have said that it will be an imperfect simulation and so we would expect very sort of glitches where the laws of nature do display irregularities we can't account for but it's an interesting speculation and can we go further than that it here that's well I suppose the only way would go further is that in the multiverse concept we could perhaps imagine that there are other universes where the laws are even more propitious for the emergence of complexity and where it would be easier for something to develop to the complexity of a supercomputer than it is on in this universe and that puts slightly strengthen the conclusion that we ought to be in a simulation rather than in a real thing and where we shouldn't be going about our lives assuming that we're a simulation I would assume we should take ourselves in our earth pretty seriously I think we should although people have said we might want to pay start to differently if we thought ruinous simulation where those who are doing the simulation might pull the plug out if they get too bored I think there is one additional critical factor that we need to consider and that is in principle can the nature of consciousness and self-consciousness be subject to simulation well this is a very deep question of course whether consciousness is an automatic emergent property beyond a certain level of the complexity of cerebration as it were well whether it's separate but recognizing that if we get to that step we still have an answer the final question well that's right but that's very may be the kind of question which it will demand superhuman intelligence to understand which could be forever beyond our capacity yes

Channel: Closer To Truth

Views: 47,380

Keywords: Martin Rees (Academic), Simulation (Literature Subject), Closer To Truth (TV Program), Reality (Quotation Subject), Philosophy (Field Of Study), Universe (Quotation Subject), Cosmology (Field Of Study)

Id: uxihn3U2kV4

Length: 4min 21sec (261 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 31 2015