I know, I know; this title, let alone the idea of living in a simulation, seems absurd, crazy, and ridiculous. Hell, my knee jerk reaction to the Simulation Hypothesis consists of incredulity and outright close-mindedness (which is very uncommon for me). However, I’m willing to dispense with my initial reception and immediate feelings to unpack the very possible (but not confirmed) idea that we are, in fact, living in a simulation.

Evidence For

It might appear paradoxical to discuss evidence “for” the Simulation Hypothesis, as we lack empirical proof. My “evidence” is simply a thought process. To understand where I’m coming from, just think about how far humans have come; Really, think about it. The printing press was invented nearly 600 years ago. The light bulb was invented 144 years ago. The first computers were invented 80-90 years ago. The internet was developed a little over 50 years ago. The entire human genome was successfully sequenced 20 years ago. And today, we have AI and machine learning that can hyper-personalize products and services to consumers, beat the greatest minds at Chess, generate images and advanced creative expressions, and even code itself. The rate of technological innovation is truly mind-boggling, and it’s increasing exponentially.

Why am I telling you this? Because if we are able to understand the rate of innovation in the past, surely we are able to project the rate of innovation into the future. And this doesn’t mean describing what new technologies and AI will bring specifically, but rather visualizing the possibilities and never shutting down the ideas that seem unconventional, iconoclastic, or impossible. With this comes Simulation Theory.

Imagine we asked Thomas Edison to describe the future of society and technology. He wouldn’t be able to say “yea, we’ll have laptops that people can write stupid blogs on and 300 capacity airplanes that will carry people across the globe at 500 mph and smart phones that will feed us instant information regardless of where we are.” In other words, there is no way to possibly know where the future of technology and Generative AI will take us. And given the current trends and rate of expansion, I believe there is a possibility we are living in a simulation.

Go watch this game trailer right now. And this. The graphics on these are absolutely ridiculous, and it’s an understatement to say we’ve come a long way from Pong and pixels on a screen. Now imagine 100 years into the future. If we are able to enable these graphics in virtual reality (VR) systems, or even interface them within our very own minds, like Neuralink plans to do, then we will be able to play games in a simulation that are just as realistic as our everyday environment. I feel that it is absolutely inevitable that we will have VR systems that feel just as real as life, providing haptic and visual feedback instantaneously and with the same accuracy as authentic, substantive experiences. At this point, when actual and fictitious boundaries blur, what does the definition of “real” become?

Evidence Against

Writing “evidence” against Simulation Theory seems also a little pointless, since there is no way to empirically prove that we don’t live in a simulation since we don’t know what happens after death, objectively (I’m agnostic and I am open to many ideas of life after death, or nothing after death). Similarly to arguments against the existence of a higher being or God, the absence of “hard evidence” often becomes the basis for dismissing such ideas; it’s an argument from ignorance. In other words, Simulation Theory is proven false because there is no evidence to prove it true. I could say the same thing about eternal life after death, but I won’t get into that.

Look, I totally understand the idea that we can’t be living in a simulation because we have free will and the ability to make personal decisions. However, I would argue that what seems like free will is, most of the time, driven by our subconscious minds, and we are not actually in control of as much as we’d like to think we are. Combined with the latest research on quantum mechanics, which describes incredible randomness and lack of predictability on quantum levels that don’t translate to macro levels (brain, life, etc.), free will might simply be an illusion. Expressed differently, we think every action we take is under our [conscious] control, but what if it isn’t and what if this is because any action we take is dictated and governed by a simulation?

In Summary

I know, it seems crazy that I’m writing about the idea of Simulation Theory, because at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter. We live, we love, we experience, and we die. The cycle of life is challenging already, and to perpetuate an idea that seems incredulous, especially since we [humans] have a keen desire to create our own truths, meanings, and purposes, might seem absurd. But I’d argue that questioning existence and keeping an open mind, even to the idea of a simulation and lack of free will, will ultimately free you from the shackles of your impartiality and self-limitations. For if you truly believe that anything is possible, and you go head first into the abyss of confusion, you’ll find ultimate clarity.