Who simulated our universe and why?

The notion that we might live in a computer simulation is a popular (meta)physical speculation these days. In this essay I will explore the question who might be simulating us and why.

Background

In 2003 Nick Bostrom wrote the so-called "simulation argument" in Philosophical Quarterly (http://www.simulation-argument.com/simulation.html). Bostrom thinks that if we become able to create computer simulations in which entities "live" which have a certain level of consciousness, it is likely that we ourselves also live inside a simulation. Whereas I do not intend to discuss all the different options he explains, I will assume for the sake of this essay that we do live in a simulation.

Bostrom mentions the notion of so-called "Ancestor-simulations". A post human society capable of creating simulations of its own reality may create simulations of its own history and thereby it might have created a world like ours.

Who and Why?

Post-human civilisations that are capable of creating simulations that feel like a "reality" to its inhabitants, might run such simulations, but they might also use their computational resources to generate worlds with different sets of algorithmic rules, which would translate into different laws of physics in the worlds they create. In fact to run an ancestor-simulation is perhaps a quite boring option once you have the ability to create worlds according to your wildest dreams and fantasies. An ancestor simulation might then perhaps be run by the equivalent of a historian or anthropologist at the level of the simulators. They might be interested to see what path evolution or history would have taken if certain decisions would have been made in an alternative manner.

Civilisations which have reached this level of mastery of energy, information and computational resources, probably will develop further to be able to simulate everything they can possibly think of. If such a civilisation has truly transcended the human state, perhaps these post-humans are complex "artificial" intelligences, which are running every conceivable simulation. In the most extreme scenario, such an intelligence could create "Everett's multiple worlds", in which every event that could possibly happen, does happen in a parallel world, which is generated upon the moment that a bifurcating decision is made. You then generate a solution to many quantum mechanical mysteries: A particle does not choose to go one or the other pathway, but goes all the different pathways simultaneously, creating a plethora of parallel universes for every "choice" event.

This would require unlimited computing power and there is no certainty that that will ever be achieved, in fact it is not logical that it can be "achieved" in the physical world: You cannot generate limitlessness if you work with a limited material substrate. So if such an unlimited computing power is present in this universe, it is a basic intrinsic aspect of this universe.

I have argued in my book "Transcendental Metaphysics" that "primordial consciousness" as underlying ground for existence by its very nature may be a both (pan)computational and (pan)psychic process. If consciousness requires the integration of information as Tononi argues, information must have been generated somehow. In my hypothesis "Conscienergy" is an ongoing cyclic process of generating information by successive divisions or copying of itself and re-integration and merging of the information resulting in the consciousness aspect thereof. In this model "consciousness" is not a thing that this aggregated or emerges from building blocks but an aspect of an ongoing natural cycle at the most primitive state of being: A cycle of differentiation and integration. The differentiation in this model creates space and time and the continuous psychic sensing of these differentiated states by energetic probing from the integrative centre results in the creation of matter-like sensing entities. The worlds that aggregate therefrom could be considered as self-simulations. Consciousness continuously divides itself up in smaller copies of itself to probe its larger self, from which the divisions are generated. 

Such a self-simulation does not necessarily lead to the Everett scenario, but in principle it could. Every choice resulting in parallel worlds would be a further division. This computational substrate may not be anything like our present-day computational substrates. Rather it is the fabric of the realities. And since every consciousness-cell or reality cell can be probed and sensed from within and from without, such a cell can have a digital content of 0 or 1 (0 only internal sensing; 1 internal and external sensing). So this model does allow for a kind of digital checkerboard. However, these cells are linked to every other cell as a kind of neural network and certain types of messaging may be instantaneous, which would explain the quantum mechanical "entanglement".

Self-simulating primordial consciousness needs no why to generate worlds. Rather it is its natural way of being, it can do nothing but that.

If primordial consciousness is the basement level from which existence emerges, this does not exclude that a first post human society could evolve therefrom. And this society could start to generate simulations. Not only ancestor simulations, but it could start to create all kinds of scenarios it wishes to screen. If such a society is limited in computing power, it would need to prune away scenarios which do not give desired outcomes such as systems turning into loops. But if its computing power is nearly limitless in comparison to the worlds it wishes to generate it could opt for an Everett-like making everything happen that can possibly happen. and the process can be recursive: Within simulations societies can evolve that start to simulate new worlds, so that you get a series of stacked simulation levels.

Why it does so? Curiosity, experiencing unknown sensations and ecstasy are motivations we could argue from our human level. Or perhaps it is testing a scientific hypothesis, reducing us to mere lab-rats or worse, bacteria in a Petri-dish. Of course we cannot imagine the considerations such God-like entities might have.

In any case, the world we are living in is likely to be a kind of simulation as evidenced by the numerical and geometrical clues in our solar system, which seem to point to a numerical code involving 1,2,3 and 7, about which I have written in my article on Gematria (https://steemit.com/gematria/@technovedanta/1-2-3-7-the-rosetta-stone-to-our-simulation-gematria-and-katapayadi). A numerical code which also frequently turns up in religious books from different religions. This has led many prophets to go insane and declare that their religion is the only true one and impose all kind of moral restrictions, because they were convinced that they had received a message from God himself. Since I have been able to conclude that this code occurs in holy books from very different religions, which often even contradict each other, I have concluded that this code is indeed some kind of message from the simulators, but I have no clue what it means, since the contradiction shows that the meaning of the literal words that form the code do not reflect a higher truth. Rather, the words are mere vehicles to get across a numerical message, the key of which we still have to find.

To me, and this is pure speculation, this simulation looks like a kind of intelligence test. Not only on an individual level but also as a collective. Will we be able to become more tolerant and inclusive of each other's opinions? Will we be able to generate a sustainable way of living? Or will we continue to try to exclude each other and compete for short term gains?

Will we die like feasting bacteria in a Petri dish once we have exhausted Earth's resources or will we drown in our own pollution? 

Conclusion

We probably live in a simulation, but it is not necessarily an ancestor simulation nor is it necessarily one of Everett's multiple worlds. I strongly consider that this is not the first time intelligence has reached human levels or beyond. We are not in the primordial consciousness base level. Self-simulation in primordial consciousness needs no motivation. Simulations in the stacked simulating levels may be testing some conditions, carrying out a screening and pruning model or simply are amusing themselves with a bunch of lab-rats.

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https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/227126-neil-degrasse-tyson-says-its-very-likely-the-universe-is-a-simulation

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