Scientists think they've finally worked out if we live in a simulation or not
Scientists have finally given humanity an answer when it comes to the theory which suggests we're all living in a simulation.
While it would make life very depressing if we were all grinding 9-5 jobs and sending all our money to big businesses and landlords that only exist inside our own simulation, it has been touted as a possibility by plenty of people in the world of science.
In case you haven't heard of it, the theory was probably best explained by American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who suggested that if advanced civilisations can create realistic simulations of universes, then statistically, it's more probable we live in one of the many simulations rather than the one original universe.
As we have so far been unable to create whole worlds of our own, other than those in video games, it does unfortunately seem more likely that we might just be the figment of another world's imagination.
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While an AI expert has suggested that it's almost certain that we are living in a simulation, the group of scientists from the University of British Columbia have now suggested otherwise.
Dr Mir Faizal, who led the study, which was published in the Journal of Holography Applications in Physics (via Science Daily) writes: "It has been suggested that the universe could be simulated. If such a simulation were possible, the simulated universe could itself give rise to life, which in turn might create its own simulation.
"This recursive possibility makes it seem highly unlikely that our universe is the original one, rather than a simulation nested within another simulation.
"This idea was once thought to lie beyond the reach of scientific inquiry. However, our recent research has demonstrated that it can, in fact, be scientifically addressed."
The doctor goes on to explain how laws of gravity and mathematics mean it's impossible to create a world inside a computer, although one could argue that we're only working on our own knowledge of computers, rather than that of a super-intelligent alien race.
"We have demonstrated that it is impossible to describe all aspects of physical reality using a computational theory of quantum gravity," said Dr Faizal. "Therefore, no physically complete and consistent theory of everything can be derived from computation alone. Rather, it requires a non-algorithmic understanding, which is more fundamental than the computational laws of quantum gravity and therefore more fundamental than spacetime itself."
Dr Faizal added: "Drawing on mathematical theorems related to incompleteness and indefinability, we demonstrate that a fully consistent and complete description of reality cannot be achieved through computation alone.
"It requires non-algorithmic understanding, which by definition is beyond algorithmic computation and therefore cannot be simulated. Hence, this universe cannot be a simulation."
However, considering how quickly artificial intelligence has grown over the last few years, the idea of it creating a whole new world doesn't sound as silly as it might have done when the original Will Smith spaghetti videos first dropped.
So, if we do get to the point where we're all ruling over our own worlds, that aren't just The Sims, then maybe make sure the people you control don't end up waging wars or working their whole lives.
Topics: Science
James Moorhouse