It would seem that quite recently people were burned at the stake for trying to convince their neighbors that the Earth is round. And now some people doubt the reality of what is happening, arguing about what a simulation is. Is it possible today to be sure of your existence? Or is the universe just an illusion?
Bots among us
For years, scientists have been working on building a model of the origin of the world. The era of dinosaurs fought in the minds of the townsfolk with the sparks of God. Until in 2003, Nick Bostrom published a philosophical work on computer simulation. The theory is that everything that exists in our lives is a computer reality created by a master race.
The concept of simulation originally referred to medical terminology. It comes from the Latin word for pretense, simulatio. It was used when a person portrayed non-existent diseases and symptoms. With the development of computer games, the content and process of which are close to real life, the word has acquired additional meaning. In this context, simulation has come to mean a virtual world created by a developer.
Virtual worlds,created in recent years, amaze with the possibilities of modeling. How aware is the character of the simulation game that he is only part of the program? How can we know for sure that our actions do not respond to a key combination?
Through the Ages
Surprisingly, such ideas excited the minds even in the days of ancient Greek scientists. Of course, what is simulation in digital programming was not discussed at the Athenian agora. However, the philosopher Plato believed that only the idea itself is primary and real. Everything material is the subsequent incarnation of thought.
Religious judgments of the Mayan Indians are based on similar ideas about the illusion of the world. Their philosophical teachings are filled with ideas that everything material is temporary, and therefore illusory. Only the Spirit is eternal, everything else is secondary.
Reality Transurfing
In 2004 a series of books by Vadim Zeland was published. The main meaning of the doctrine is that everyone manages his own life. Primary thought. The world around us is just a waking dream, the embodiment of judgments.
It is almost impossible for a reader who first encounters such a view of causal relationships to digest the meaning of the content. Stereotypes in thinking do not release consciousness beyond the usual boundaries. Reason refuses to take responsibility for the shortcomings of the surrounding reality. However, for those who are familiar with such theories, Bostrom's work did not seem so incredible.
It is difficult to say whether the Matrix trilogy influenced the worldview of the Swedish thinker. A phenomenon is known when brilliant discoveries were made simultaneously in different parts of the planet independently of each other. Perhaps something similar happened in this case. One thing is undeniable: the history of the creation of the world has been rewritten many times, and one cannot be sure that this is not happening now.
