- Ever since ancient times people have asked the question, "Is the world a dream?" Is everything around us an illusion created by some God to test us? Well, the modern version of that is, is the Universe a computer game? Are we just dancing puppets, obeying the laws of some computer
out there in the Universe? Is everything basically a fake? Well, that theory got a tremendous boost with the "Matrix" series 'cause in the "Matrix"
what we thought was real was actually a computer simulation put into our brain by aliens- and so reality as we
knew it was all wrong. Is that possible? Well, the answer is probably no. But for a very sophisticated reason. Life is not based on zeros
and ones, zeros and ones. Photosynthesis for example, it is a quantum mechanical process. It is the basis of all life on the Earth- and we still don't know
quite how it works. A flower can do calculations that our most advanced
quantum computer cannot. Amazing, truly amazing. So Mother Nature is still smarter than us when it comes to the quantum theory. If you wanna simulate
the weather for example, you have to simulate the motion of trillions upon trillions of atoms. No computer is that powerful, that it can simulate the motion of trillions and trillions of atoms that just make up the atoms in this room. You can't do it. You're talking about 10
to the, let's say 25. One with 25 zeros after it just to model the atoms
inside a goldfish bowl. So we're talking about a
fabulous amount of information necessary to create a model of a dream. And the most intricate
quantum device-is you. You are the byproduct
of quantum mechanics. If you turned off quantum mechanics what would happen to your body? It would dissolve. It would dissolve into a bunch
of random subatomic particles and atoms obey the quantum principle, it holds your body together. It allows your atoms to
interact with other atoms to create catalysts, to create DNA, and proteins. So you don't really know where
they are at any given point. So there's an infinite number
of universes that are possible right in your room. And so in other words, it is mathematically not possible to create a fictional universe out of atoms in a fictional way. Sorry about that. The Universe is not an illusion. Now, some people ask another question, "What if the universe is
an almost simulation?" That's possible. Maybe you cannot stimulate
trillions and trillions of atoms because of something called Now, what's the "butterfly effect?" The butterfly effect is when
a butterfly flaps its wings, there's a certain small probability that the waves created by the butterfly will be magnified as it progresses. It may be enough to
reach the tipping point. The tipping point that
sets off a storm, okay? The point I'm raising is, no computer is powerful
enough to do that computation of a butterfly's wings
that could set off a storm. Is it possible? Yes. Is it computable? Probably not. So, in other words chances are we do not live in a computer simulation. Sorry about that.
