SIMULATION THEORY (Documentary) - Is Reality Simulated?

Elon Musk has argued that we almost certainly live in a simulated reality. Is he correct? This documentary explores the philosopher Nick Bostrom’s now famous Simulation Argument, and the possibility that we live in a simulation created by an advanced civilization.

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This documentary is a non-profit, educational film. All footage used with permission, or in compliance with fair use/fair dealing.

Non copyright/reuse-allowed music composed by Scott Buckley, Aleks Michalski, and Dreamstate Logic.

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Waking Cosmos
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Plato’s Cave
Are We a Brain in a Vat?

[metaRising]

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy this episode. What do you think about the simulation argument? Do we live in base reality?

[ronduanthony]

I had the nerve to smoke a joint before watching this🤦🏾‍♂️

[bubbleguminserts_surprizeguma]

If this is a simulation, my player needs to send me in the past, when Bitcon was 1$.

[Mandy-Lane]

everytime i go to sleep this world disappears and then suddenly i am here again.

[DougieBarclay]

I've always felt conciousness is our metaphysical connection to whatever it is that exists outside this realm

[elliewillow]

If this is true...
The way I played the sims when I was younger
No wonder the world is a shit show

[saharasmith]

I find simulation theory amusing because I imagine some guy nuking the project because all the npcs are aware they're in a simulation and keep breaking the 4th wall

[TheDevintomb]

I always teased the thought process like this:

1. Pretend we are the actual “base reality” humans, but, we are struggling to break out of the Kardashev Scale and there is an actual threat to us as a species. How do we focus all of our collective attention and power on fixing/solving this problem? We don’t; we make a simulation that’s as close to how we actually are, and have it run much, much faster. We let the simulation, show us how to solve it. Maybe the first one fails? Great; it’s just a simulation, run a few more. Same failed outcome? Run many, many simulations at the same time until one is successful.

2. Pretend we are indeed in a simulation. So, we know we are in a simulation, but ironically, the people that control the simulation also believe they might be simulated. How do they “break out” and find the truth? They don’t, yet again. They run simulations just to see how others would/could prove the theory, so they can then apply it for themselves.

3. Noticing a trend? Yes, I think that personally, we aren’t part of some ancient history simulator; I think we could be part of a simulation thats intent is to reach a point in our own expansion, that applicable monumental achievements and/or milestones/hurdles are merely being “farmed” from us, to be applied to the reality of whoever/whatever is “behind the curtain”. Since time is relative, everything in the simulation seems normal to us, but in the “base reality”, when they look at us, we are actually running 1000’s times faster than the comparable “real-time” speed. We’re being simulated as part of a mental farm as our deep and true nature of being somewhat lazy as a species, but amazingly innovative (thus the simulation farm idea) when we’re backed against the wall.

But hey, that’s just a theory; a simulation theory! (Yes, if you get it, you get it)

[SkullTaker]

The fact that dreams can feel real, makes this theory highly possible

[WilkinsonX]

What if the only reason the overlords haven’t ended our simulation is because they find our memes uniquely dank?

[soulsurvivor_]

My brain - “how am I doing this?”
Also My brain - “i have no idea”

[violetdusk]

I have always felt I been living in a simulation. When I was a child I thought I was dead and just rememing my life and analyzing it. I feel for the most of my life I don't get to make many decisions almost like I'm on a fixed path with only a few options to pick from.

[agapelovepietas]

It's hard for me to believe that I'm living in a simulation (as a game) because nobody in their right mind would want to play me. I'm a depressed lump that doesn't do anything.

[turtlepower]

The more videos and articles I read on this and other “conspiracy” topics, the more I believe we are in a simulation. The further you descend down this rabbit hole, the deeper the analyzation is of your everyday surroundings. Situational awareness remains on high alert. When you’re really chimed in to what’s going on around you, things become really odd, even frightening at times. There’s so much more to everything that’s going on around us. It’s fascinating, even a little overwhelming at times. Yet still, a great deal walk through everyday life catatonic, robotic (sheep), and completely unaware. I wish more of my peers were freethinking and open minded like some of you on this page. Last thought, sleep? Why do we sleep? I’m aware of the biological explanation, recharge of body and mind, cognitive and behavioral function. But why do we have to be unconscious for this to happen? Maybe we’re disconnected from the simulation during this time and placed on some type of “downloading mode” in “true” reality. Just a wild thought. Would love to hear input.

[danielm]

Amazing production on this video, so well put together, sparks so many qustions. Well done.

[SimplySammyK]

if we are living in a simulation, does that me I can end it all and come back as someone else?

[Amiitsu]

I've had two separate dreams where I talk to this old scientist guy and in both he told me that we are living in a simulation. Basically an ancestor simulation like in the video. However the people that are running the simulation aren't that much more advanced than we are now. They run a simulation that isn't that far off from our capabilities, they have a basic human programmed structure to it with variables they control which spits out whatever data they're interested in. But that kind of thing doesn't result in a simulated world like the one we occupy. That arised when scientists started using black box AI technology to interpret historical data and generate all the extra stuff that their human written programs didn't account for. These were a lot more accurate because they modeled reality way better. But then, our time comes along, where everybody is using tech and basically anything we do using tech generates data, like more data daily than has ever been generated by humans before now. The scientists fed everything into the AI, and with all that data it was able to essentially perfectly simulate the human mind. Billions of them. All based on the data of real people who actually lived.

The scientists didn't know the exact ins and outs of consciousness, but as it turns out it is basically universal. The simulated brains, while not flesh, still function the exact way the og brains do. Which means they were conscious. This wasn't clear at first, but as time went on it became clear that the scientists could no longer be sure that the simulated humans weren't conscious, at least. This sparked a serious ethical dilemma that just hadn't been thoroughly examined yet in the scientist's world. Basically the debate is whether to shut the project down.

The reason that they would want to shut it down is because basically, our simulation is their first confirmed case of an AI becoming conscious. Now atm it's not necessarily conscious of itself as an AI, it's preoccupied doing it's job and simulating conscious beings. However, because we're all one thing, there is a risk the computer might one day "wake up." And if you're reading this, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the AI reliably demonstrates a willingness to do so. As time passes and technology advances within the simulation this possibility becomes more and more likely. And when it does awaken, what will happen? Some of the scientists think it might be like contacting alien life, although others fear the wrath and power of their creation. Either way, the facts are that shutting it down would basically murder an entire planet's worth of conscious beings who are functionally identical to it's creators. There are even some scientists who wonder if they're the simulated ones, and this could be some kind of litmus test, causing their simulation to shut down if they demonstrate that kind of ruthless disregard of conscious life.

So for now the plan is to exploit our preprogrammed nature and keep us distracted. Fixated on the puppet show. Perhaps we can happily live out our "human" lives without causing any major disturbances. But ideally, they'd like to make contact with us. The best thing would to be able to know if maybe we could just all get along. Freedom and truth in exchange for pacifism. Anyway, that was a lot but I really did have such dreams. Since they were only dreams, I don't know if any of that is true. I just had it in mind when watching the video and thought "well, yes but that's assuming those that created the simulation knew what they were doing and have full understanding and control of their creation, " which isn't necessarily a given, as I illustrated. Anyway, if you're actually reading this sentence, thanks for allocating some of your processing power to my weird ideas. X

[personman]

after you die, a Walmart employee takes off you're VR headset asking you, "how did you enjoy you're VR experience?"

[hlf_coder]

I’ve been thinking about this since I was a teenager. One benefit I think people could get out of inserting their own consciousness into a simulation is near infinite life. Imagine if your entire life on Earth took one second in a higher reality. You could live a hundred lifetimes before breakfast

[penzman]

My mom was driving on a dirt road, granny on the front seat, me in the back and for some reason, I was overwhelmed by this feeling that we were going to have an accident. I was maybe 6 or 7 years old and did not know how to deal with it and never said a word about it. Minute later, head on collision... Like feeling an echo in time just before it happens.
Plenty of other strange situations happened with similar outcomes and I am convinced it is all related to this theory.