What if the Universe is a Computer Simulation? - Computerphile

What if the Universe is just a computer simulation? What is fundamental particles are really just "bits"?

Featuring physicist Phil Moriarty from the University of Nottingham.

This video was filmed and edited by Brady Haran.

[prodbytdash]

You know shit was about to get real when he stood up

[OkamioftheRinnegan]

You would be able to tell if one day you add 0.1 to 0.2 and you get

[mikrn]

I had a shower thought a few years ago, something that never really left me.

A future civilization who wants to advance their technology *faster* could simulate a civilization from scratch with similar physical limitations to reality. They would do this for the express purpose of examining how this alternate civilization might approach and solve various problems differently than its creators. You would also have the byproduct of being able to take that simulation's works of art, especially music, and consume that media.

[HuleAbhishek]

If this is true... Then I hope a new patch is released ASAP.

[conkerconk]

the universe admins watching be like: (⊙_⊙)

[joneps]

Imagine we'd simulate a universe containing life and one of the species in it would recognize that they are just a simulation...

[timhorton]

Hey! This guy was kidnapped from Sixty Symbols!

[tendowav]

I've seen a lot of people comment on the improbability of this theory SOLELY based upon the capabilities of our own computers. That doesn't make much sense. How are we to assume that the laws that govern our reality are the laws that govern others? Perhaps the beings that wrought such a complex simulation surpassed the use of such devices like "disk space", if even disk space existed. Is our reality even remotely complex in comparison to this theoretically "real" reality? This realm of ours could very well be the simplest "game of life" to these sentients. I don't think we should discredit this theory based upon the laws that govern OUR realm.

[xtenkfarpl]

I am not convinced by the "it from bit" theories.
It is said that if your only tool is a hammer, all problems look like a nail
Likewise, if your model tool is a computer, everything starts to look like a computation.

[MrNUKECOW]

Thanks for triggering another existential crisis guys

[a.lampman]

Dear Architect,

Thanks. This was neat.

Sincerely,
A blip on your screen.

[malulz]

Let's hope they make regular backups.

[GhostScientist]

Simulations within simulations to millions of levels? Imagine if one of them gets the Blue Screen Of Armageddon.

[gpd]

"The Matrix" is in my opinion one of the greatest Sci Fi movies

[aurelienemmanuel]

Why should there be a smallest thing? The world could be generated like a fractal: when we zoom on smaller things, it generates it.

[Ycylyon]

This also is why on a quantum level, particles behave differently when observed. Usually the simulation generalizes and only has to be precise, when you take a close look.
(stupid idea, but fun :D)

[JeanAlphonseJaune]

I recommend a very good SciFi movie about simulating our world: The Thirteenth Floor

[guelfert]

One reason this makes intuitive sense to me is that the way we describe the universe now, as a collection of particles whose exact position cannot be determined, looks an awful lot like a digital signal, which is essentially a series of little fields describing the probability of the value of the input.

[TheMotoben]

I knew my intelligence was artificial.

[davidsl]

Can the game of life be inverted, is there an algorithm/ enough information to invert the apparently random output of the game of life algorithm to determine the initial state?? 
Kindly like to promote.