Can we ever decide whether our universe is virtual, meaning artificially created, or real, naturally created? Most likely this is a relig...
Can we ever decide whether our universe is virtual, meaning artificially created, or real, naturally created? Most likely this is a religious issue, and we cannot choose rationally, but can we still determine any reasonable position on this?
For a being who is living in a virtual world, no other world exists; the being cannot have any information which belongs to the creator’s system. Basically, a being living in a virtual world cannot answer the question, virtual or real, even if he has in-depth knowledge of the laws of his world. The being can have knowledge about his world's virtuality only if the intelligence who created the virtual world declares it.
If this declaration is not clear and direct, what are the signs to watch for? Because this kind of world's "natural" laws is artificially created, it can be a satisfying sign if these laws occasionally become corrupt. If this happens globally, then the whole artificial world's "natural" life takes a new direction. In this case, inevitably the existence of the observer's life comes into question. However, if this happened in the earlier history of this virtual world, it may be a sign of virtuality.
The natural law "violations" may occur in limited, local areas, even temporarily, when, for example, a local viewer experience it as a miracle, as a change in the laws of nature. Of course, these phenomena can only be meaningful signs of virtuality if the viewer of the virtual world has enough knowledge about his nature's laws, and is not experiencing the miracle as merely a new phenomenon because of the absence of his knowledge.
Based on these thoughts, can we answer the question: Is our world virtual or real?
No comments