Nick Bostrom points out that even if we live in a simulation, this does not diminish the value of human experience.
Philosopher Nick Bostrom, known for his theory of the “simulation argument,” argues in a new interview that people in highly unusual positions—like Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump—may have more reason than others to consider the possibility that our world is a computer simulation.
The simulation hypothesis proposes that the universe we live in could be a simulation created by a highly advanced civilization, either of extraterrestrial origin or a future stage of humanity.
Bostrom's three possibilities
Although the theory is not widely accepted by the scientific community, it remains the subject of intense academic debate. As noted, with today's technology there is no way to directly confirm or refute the hypothesis.
In a 2003 paper titled " Are You Living in a Computer Simulation? ", Bostrom argued that at least one of the following three scenarios must be true:
First, that humanity will disappear before it develops the technology to create such simulations. Second, that it will reach this technological level, but will not choose to create large numbers of simulations of its ancestors. Third, that we are already living in such a simulation.
According to him, if a future "post-human" civilization creates extensive simulation systems, then the conscious beings within them could outnumber real humans, making it statistically more likely that we are already in a simulation.
“If you are Donald Trump or Elon Musk…”
In a recent interview with Max Raskin, Bostrom suggested that this possibility could also be influenced by a person's personal circumstances, suggesting that those in highly unusual positions may have more reason to consider this possibility.
"If you were Donald Trump or Elon Musk , at some point you would have to stop and think: what are the chances that I am actually Donald Trump or Elon Musk?" he said.
Elon Musk has at times expressed a positive attitude towards the simulation hypothesis, attributing it mainly to the rapid development of digital technologies and video games, while Donald Trump has not publicly stated his position on the issue.
"Our experiences remain real"
Bostrom points out that even if we live in a simulation, this does not diminish the value of human experience. As he says, people would still have real experiences and their actions would remain meaningful, even if reality were based on a highly advanced computing system.
"Even if we assumed we were living in a simulation, I think you and I would be real in the sense that matters. We would have real experiences and what we do would have meaning," he noted, adding that the only difference would be that reality would be running on a computer from a superior civilization.
Although the press releases will range from very select to rare, I said I'd pass...because sometimes the editors hide.
For many years, Astrophysicist and Philosopher Manos Danezis has been speculating the same as the above, giving the title “Matrix” to what “we perceive as life, the Universe, and… reality.