Microsoft Word - DoWeLiveInASimulation.doc - DoWeLiveInASimulation.pdf
This problem speaks to the heart of the matter of interest
to us, the nature of reality.
To question reality is to ask questions about the world we live in,
including if the world we live in is not the real world, but a huge computer
game.
Could we ever know if we live in a simulation?
If we live in a simulation but we can't tell, does it matter?
Well, people react differently to this question.
Some would say that if we can't tell, it doesn't make a difference.
Others will say that if we can conceive of a different reality
where we are free, then we should go after it.
Most of us don't like to think that we are characters
in some sophisticated video game.
We like to think that we are free.
As a consolation, if we do live in a computer simulation,
perhaps the game players that play us may also
be in a computer simulation of an even more advanced civilization.
In the end, what matters is to ask questions about who we are
and how to live a life of freedom.
And that takes us to the origin of it all, to our brains,
to the nature of consciousness.
After all, it is in our heads that everything starts
and that all questions are asked.
