CREATIVE ADVENTURES — 51
Imagine You Are Living In A Simulation
According to the simulation hypothesis, we might indeed be living in a simulation. Nick Bostrom argues we might be among the simulated minds rather than among the original biological ones. As enormous amounts of computing power will be available in the future, later generations might run detailed simulations of their forebears. Because their computers will be so powerful, they can run many, many advanced simulations. This means we could theoretically be players embedded or trapped in such a simulation. Alternatively, the reality of our lives could be possibly thought of as a very fine-grained simulation. Bostrom says:
“If we are living in a simulation, then the cosmos that we are observing is just a tiny piece of the totality of physical existence… While the world we see is in some sense ‘real,’ it is not located at the fundamental level of reality.”
René Descartes similarly states it is possible that we are dreaming right now and that all of our perceptions are false. Even as early as 380 BCE, Plato came up with the ‘Allegory of the Cave’, where he described how people imprisoned since early ages could be led to believe that artificial representations of reality were real when they were actually just fabricated illusions.
Countless science fiction books and movies feature simulation theory and its implications. Just remember ‘The Truman Show’ and remember how weird it is. Such stories are particularly powerful in the fields of gaming, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.
Star Trek episode “Ship in a Bottle” featured people who were unaware that they were living in a simulation.
Disney+ series Wanda Vision was also narrated on an alternate reality created by Wanda’s witch powers.
The most famous of all is “The Matrix”, where AI robots enslaved humans in a simulation. So, could reality indeed be an ultra-high-tech computer simulation in which we live, work, laugh, cry, eat, and sleep? Could it be that we are living in a quantum computer simulation where simulated reality is indistinguishable from reality?
In this thought experiment, you will imagine that you are living in a simulation. Please respond to the following prompts:
- How would you live if you believed that you were indeed living in a simulation? How would your life change? Would you make any changes? How? Why?
- Imagine that someone is constantly watching you, monitoring your thoughts, and analyzing your behaviors. Write a thriller story where you try to escape from this simulation.
- Think of 10 creative ways to escape the simulation.
- Write a Black Mirror episode where you are trapped in a horror simulation.
- Now that we have established that you are living in a simulation, write your new life philosophy and manifesto. How do you cope with this situation? How can you thrive given the circumstances?
- Elon Musk argues we might be living in a simulation. The incredibly fast advancement of video game technology indicates we will be capable of creating a lifelike simulation of existence in a few decades. Musk says: “If you assume any rate of improvement at all then games will become indistinguishable from reality. Even if that rate of advancement drops by a thousand from what it is now, let’s just imagine it’s 10,000 years in the future, which is nothing on the evolutionary scale.” So, we might indeed be living our lives in a game. Imagine that we are playing a game. Write about the rules and the system of this game. How do we succeed and advance to the next levels?
- Joe Rogan suggests: “Live your life like you’re the hero in your own movie.” Imagine that you are the hero of your own movie. Write the title of this movie. What is your success story? Where is your adventure? How do you describe your or story? Write the main plot of the movie. Think about the storylines unfolding in your life. Where are the twists? Do you experience a hero’s adventure? How do you overcome challenges or pain? Who are the other main characters? Do you have any antagonists or enemies?
- What would be some of the memorable quotes that you would say in this movie? On life wisdom, career advice, creative courage, perseverance, learning, or entrepreneurial success? Write down 4–5 quotes that reflect your philosophy or mindset.