Saturday, March 18, 2006
Is Life just a Virtual Reality Computer Game and we don't know it?
In the previous post, I quoted John Walker's blog where he reviewed a book by a physicist and postulated that Intelligent Design would explain everything if our Universe was a virtual reality computer game. Computer simulations which model reality use starting values and physical constants along with random number generation to model complex systems. A simulation involving the entire Universe would be mind bogglingly complex. Any intelligence living within the program may or may not be able to tell its environment was artificial depending upon the accuracy of the simulation, the quality of the hardware and software running and supporting the simulation, and the quality and quantity of the energy used to power the whole thing. This doesn't even begin to cover the entity running the simulation, or its goals and desires. One test would be to see how far one could measure certain physical constants to the greatest accuracy and see if something didn't jive.
One movie along these lines is The Thirteenth Floor. You have a computer simulation of a city running within another computer simulation of a city. It's basically what this whole thread is about.
The problem is with this whole gedanken experiment is Consciousness. We don't know what Consciousness is or how to model it because Consciousness can not be grasped by the mind. How can you model something that can't be modelled? Some will say, yet, it can't be modelled yet. However, artificial intelligence is still an unfulfilled dream. No one has been able to build a conscious machine intelligence. We can build simple insect intelligences and there is an attempt to build a conscious machine intelligence by the Brook's lab, but it is slow, methodical, difficult bleeding edge science.
Another way to look at it is The SIMS game. However, The SIMS pales in modelling an entire Universe and its life forms though.
The whole purpose of this entry is to shock your ideas and concepts about reality. This isn't a new idea. Some science fiction authors have written short stories about people as organic ROVs being run by what we would think of as angels. Of course, free will is ignored if you are an organic ROV being manipulated by an operator.
One movie along these lines is The Thirteenth Floor. You have a computer simulation of a city running within another computer simulation of a city. It's basically what this whole thread is about.
The problem is with this whole gedanken experiment is Consciousness. We don't know what Consciousness is or how to model it because Consciousness can not be grasped by the mind. How can you model something that can't be modelled? Some will say, yet, it can't be modelled yet. However, artificial intelligence is still an unfulfilled dream. No one has been able to build a conscious machine intelligence. We can build simple insect intelligences and there is an attempt to build a conscious machine intelligence by the Brook's lab, but it is slow, methodical, difficult bleeding edge science.
Another way to look at it is The SIMS game. However, The SIMS pales in modelling an entire Universe and its life forms though.
The whole purpose of this entry is to shock your ideas and concepts about reality. This isn't a new idea. Some science fiction authors have written short stories about people as organic ROVs being run by what we would think of as angels. Of course, free will is ignored if you are an organic ROV being manipulated by an operator.
Comments:
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so much 'mind stuff', it feels like avoidance more
than anything. to really be present could be earth shattering
and mind boggling enough, why take this long twisted path?
than anything. to really be present could be earth shattering
and mind boggling enough, why take this long twisted path?
# posted by 
: 9:07 PM
: 9:07 PM
There must be a reason for all this thought, otherwise the Universal Intelligence would not have come up with it. Besides, Awakening is a process and there are probably many triggers initating that process. This may be one of those triggers.
JB,
I think that life is not real. It is as Shakespeare said:
"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players"
though I am not sure how literally he meant it.
I see no need for complicated computer programs. Couldn't we all be part of someone's imagination, a story that expands forever, more with each thought or observation of any "actor".
We all (in the image of God) play this role of the story teller, endlessly making up the story of our lifes, adding charactors that help to develop the story of "me".
I am not speaking of something mystical here, I am speaking about ordinary day-dreams.
There is also a more real part to our lives, but we are hardly aware of it, and rarely participate in it.
God dreams of dreamers who recreate themselves in dreams.
I think that life is not real. It is as Shakespeare said:
"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players"
though I am not sure how literally he meant it.
I see no need for complicated computer programs. Couldn't we all be part of someone's imagination, a story that expands forever, more with each thought or observation of any "actor".
We all (in the image of God) play this role of the story teller, endlessly making up the story of our lifes, adding charactors that help to develop the story of "me".
I am not speaking of something mystical here, I am speaking about ordinary day-dreams.
There is also a more real part to our lives, but we are hardly aware of it, and rarely participate in it.
God dreams of dreamers who recreate themselves in dreams.
Anonymous,
People will not try to be present because they dream that they already are present, just as I would not listen to my dance teacher when I beleived that I was dancing wonderfully (actually this seems to be a never ending process of refinement).
However the more one "thinks" about these ideas the more chance that one will suspect that what they are seeing is not the truth. When one starts to suspect that one is asleep and that it is very important to awake then one can start to put aside thinking and focus on doing. It is a very slow process.
People will not try to be present because they dream that they already are present, just as I would not listen to my dance teacher when I beleived that I was dancing wonderfully (actually this seems to be a never ending process of refinement).
However the more one "thinks" about these ideas the more chance that one will suspect that what they are seeing is not the truth. When one starts to suspect that one is asleep and that it is very important to awake then one can start to put aside thinking and focus on doing. It is a very slow process.
or, put aside thinking and focus on being.
slow, fast, it depends, great pain often speeds up the awakening...
slow, fast, it depends, great pain often speeds up the awakening...
# posted by : 12:03 AM
: 12:03 AM
Anonymous,
That is the best things to do but, we will not work for something when we think (dream) that we already have it.
That is the best things to do but, we will not work for something when we think (dream) that we already have it.
but we do already have it...there isn't anywhere to "get to"...it' here now when we finally open our eyes and SEE it
# posted by : 12:28 AM
: 12:28 AM
Yes, we already have it, but we are taught to perceive otherwise as children. We are told that reality is this or that, to conform to the parent's or group's viewpoint. Not unlike believing that the Earth was the center of the Universe, when in fact it wasn't. How many lone voices were put to death refuting that idea? When we Awaken, we see the World anew, see reality differently, or maybe enter a new, more wonderful dream. But as I said, each individual has different triggers which initiate the Awakening. For some, it is great suffering. For others, it is concerted effort at living on the razor's edge of the Now. For yet, others, a word or phrase or image causes their mental resistance to dissolve and they spontaneously Awaken.
Anonymous,
Not too many people signing up for "great pain" these days. We tend to whine and complain at even the slightest inconvenience. I think that you are right though, even a little bit of suffering does tend to wake one up, especially if one tries to use it.
Ironically, what people think that they already have is freedom from thoughts. They do not realize that their whole life is literally nothing but day dreams. They think that they are already experiencing reality, but in fact they only have the briefest flashes of perception and then go back to sleep for hours a time.
JB,
I think that our training has contributed to the problem, but there is more to it than that. Do you think that someone who was never exposed to harmful influences would be awake? I do not think so. I think that each of us has been collecting illusions for many lifetimes.
Not too many people signing up for "great pain" these days. We tend to whine and complain at even the slightest inconvenience. I think that you are right though, even a little bit of suffering does tend to wake one up, especially if one tries to use it.
Ironically, what people think that they already have is freedom from thoughts. They do not realize that their whole life is literally nothing but day dreams. They think that they are already experiencing reality, but in fact they only have the briefest flashes of perception and then go back to sleep for hours a time.
JB,
I think that our training has contributed to the problem, but there is more to it than that. Do you think that someone who was never exposed to harmful influences would be awake? I do not think so. I think that each of us has been collecting illusions for many lifetimes.
The Buddhists are generally happier than most people and they don't have issues with self esteem because their concept of self is different from the Western concept of self. The past can only be dissolved in the Now, the present. What happened to us in this past or a past life is done and gone. The ability to start anew with a fresh slate and perspective may be the reason why most of us can not remember our past lives. I know that my past lives are off limits to me and I've tried to access them, Another friend of mine can access his past lives via hypnosis. An Uncle remembers his past lives consciously and sought out his Mother from a previous life who was still alive. He considers his past lives to be a burden. They have mostly caused him pain. So, if we have collected illusions for several lifetimes, likely it's not from our past lives if we can't remember them consciously or subconsciously. More likely, the illusions are cultural and culture lasts many lifetimes. If you think your problem lies with your past lives, then get the Time Regression CD of Brian Weiss, MD. Amazon.com sells it. I know. I bought it years ago.
JB,
Certainly I would expect members of a more spiritually intelligent society to be more healthy. But this does not suggest that they are awakened.
I am not aware of any past life influences in myself. My view is mostly based on East Indian traditions.
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Certainly I would expect members of a more spiritually intelligent society to be more healthy. But this does not suggest that they are awakened.
I am not aware of any past life influences in myself. My view is mostly based on East Indian traditions.
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