Is this the real life?
Or is this just fantasy?
Join me as we explore the question of...is reality...real?
Now no, I'm not trying to "break your brain" here or anything, and I assure you that this
isn't some random question that people are asking because of movies like The Matrix (though
those kinds of films certainly help...), but rather, the technological possibilities of
what we are capable of right now indicate that in the future we could actually simulate
life in full without input on our part once it "starts".
Think of it like this, think of a video game in the genre known as MMORPGs.
Or better yet, just think about World of Warcraft.
That is a living, breathing universe that grows, adapts and evolves based on what the
players want and need, and of course the story that is being unfolded before their very eyes.
But of course, the people at Blizzard are the ones responsible for making the game what
it is and keeping it going, so that's not a true "simulation' of life.
Nor was something like "Second Life", the Sims, or any other kind of current video game
because they all need input from the developers to keep things fresh and exciting and to not
run out of content.
So now, imagine that one day Blizzard realizes that they have the ability to create a code
or a program that allows the citizens of World of Warcraft (like the actual game characters,
not the player avatars) to think on their own.
Basically giving them an AI-like intelligence to where they can think on their own, and
do what they want to in the world of Azeroth (where World of Warcraft is set) and then
go on their adventures from there.
THAT would be a true simulation of life, and many feel that in certain ways we'll be able
to do that eventually.
And if WE are able to do that...shouldn't that mean that someone ELSE could've done
that at one point in time?
Doesn't that mean that WE could be a simulation?
And that everything around us, from nature, to space, to the very computer you're on right
now (watching our awesome video!) is not real, it's just a simulation of events that have
led us to thinking this is real.
Kind of a scary thought, isn't it?
And the scariest thought though is that technically there is a basis for this theory.
And one of them ties into the fact that we honestly don't know where we came from.
Before we continue to probe the existence of existence itself, be sure to like the video
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"What do you mean we don't know where we came from?" you might be asking me right now.
Well, think about it, where did humanity itself come from?
At present, there are two major theories as to how the universe came to be.
God, and the Big Bang.
And trust me when I saw that this is a debate that is continuing on to this day despite
the fact that neither side can truly prove the other wrong.
Let's start with the God side of things, ok?
Even if you're not religious, you likely know the score, whether it's Christianity, Islam,
the Greek or Roman pantheons, Norse lore or what have you, there was stated to be a God
or gods that have helped shape the universe, and watch over us to this day.
In the eyes of those who believe in these faiths and religions, it's very clear how
the universe came to be.
The gods or God created everything from scratch, spanning the stars to make everything special,
everything unique (or in certain lores it took a while to get everything "just right",
it happens...) and then eventually humans were put on the Earth to represent the "greatest
creation" of God or the gods, and then life began.
On the OTHER side of the spectrum though, there's the Big Bang theory, and I would bet
you know this theory very well.
Basically, an "explosion of mass" started the universe, and over the course of billions
of years the universe formed into what we have now, including the shaping of life (both
in terms of animal and plant forms) on Earth.
The irony though is that both sides have merit.
For example, one of the biggest flaws of the Big Bang Theory is that the "placement" of
the universe is too perfect in some ways.
For example, Earth.
The Earth is perfectly placed so we get enough light and heat from the sun to survive without
being burned alive, overexposed, or pumped full of deadly radiation.
If the Big Bang was the birth of it all, how can we have gotten such a perfect result?
Was it really dumb luck?
In contrast, if there was a God, or gods, that made the universe, why would they make
it expand infinitely in a way we have truly proven?
Would they not want there to be a finite limit to their works?
Or was this a part of their "divine plan"?
No one side can prove the other wrong, and that's why the God vs. Big Bang debate rages
on in all the ways that matter.
Because both sides want to be proven right...and not be proven wrong.
Which of course brings us back to the "is reality, real?"
argument.
Because if we can't prove where WE came from at the most basic of levels, what's to say
that we're not a simulation?
What's to say that this, all of this, isn't just some programming in a computer to make
it FEEL real?
Think about the movie The Matrix (come on, you knew this was coming!), when we open the
film, we find "Mr. Anderson" living his regular life, and yet thinking that something was
wrong.
And yet, he couldn't explain what was going on until some very sci-fi events happened
that led to him being "pulled" from the simulation and brought into the "real world".
As Cipher and Morpheus would later explain, the human race lost a war with the machines
that they had built.
As a result, most of humanity was plugged into a MASSIVE computer mainframe where they
lived an "ordinary" life for as long as their bodies would allow them to go in order to
"power" the machines.
In short, humanity was living a simulated life in order to be batteries.
Neo, Morpheus and the others would "hack into" the Matrix and project their consciousness
into the machine so that they could interact with the world, not unlike a high-end VR program.
However, they could kill other people in The Matrix, and they themselves could be killed.
Why do these definitions matter?
Because that is very much what could be happening to us right now.
In fact, after The Matrix came out, many high-ranking scientists honestly started to ponder whether
the reality we have right now is like The Matrix.
Because not unlike Neo at the beginning of the movie, we wouldn't know what was real
because everything we've ever known was "real" to us.
Our families, our homes, our lives.
The Matrix film explained that they were all real to an extent, just not in the way that
you expected.
So by that token, if by machines or an advanced species or race, they were able to replicate
that kind of thing...we could be living in a simulation right now.
I'm sure you have many questions as to that possibility, so I'll break them down one by
one.
Probably the biggest question you have is, "How could there be someone so advanced out
there to do such a thing?"
Well you need to think of this in terms of scale and scope.
Mainly, I want you to think about a Neanderthal meeting a millennial.
Yeah, fun picture, right?
The Neanderthal wouldn't understand what he or she is seeing, and yet the Millennial would
get it because they understand everything that's come from the Neanderthal's point in
time to theirs.
Basically, to us, it's unfathomable that some species in the universe could be SO ADVANCED
as to make a super "real" simulation like The Matrix.
Yet, it's not impossible, because we ourselves don't understand the process and power it
could take to get there.
If you're still confused, imagine trying to tell people in the early days of computers
(which filled up entire rooms) that eventually they would fit in the palm of their hand.
They would laugh you out of the room because it took years of effort just to get them to
make one fit in ONE room.
So to put it in the palm of your hand?
That would be ludicrous to them...at the time.
We don't know what's out there in the universe, and moreso, if we are in a simulation, we
don't know what's OUTSIDE our "own" universe.
For all we know, we could be a simulation of the human race from thousands of years
before where they are now.
And they could be watching us on our computers, driving our cars, and going, "Can you believe
we used to live like that?"
Sure, it may sound like a outrageous idea...but is it?
Is it really?
I mean, think about it.
Everything we know about our universe has changed SO MUCH since when we started...so...how
can we truly say that there isn't someone else out there literally pulling the strings
of our existence?
Or at the very least, setting up the parameters of our existence to see what we do?
The next question is, "WHY would they do such a thing?"
Why would such an advanced civilization want to make such an advanced simulation?
To answer that question with a possibility, I take us to the world of video games.
Specifically, an RPG franchise called Star Ocean: Til The End Of Time.
It's ok if you haven't played this game, I'll explain the plot more or less.
In short, we play a character named Fayt Leingod (yes, it's a JRPG title obviously), who goes
on a very long journey to try and save his parents, his friends, and eventually, the
universe when "Gods" decide to try and destroy it via the creation of "forbidden technology".
Turns out, Fayt and everything he knew was a part...of a video game simulation.
Yeah, remember that World of Warcraft idea I put forward?
That's basically this.
They made a massive video game that could simulate life and then they just let it...live.
Like The Matrix, they were able to plug in and out of it when they wanted to via Avatars,
but for the most part, they left it alone.
Only "fixing" it when they met certain parameters, that was the "Gods" that Fayt fought before
realizing the truth.
Who's to say that this isn't happening here?
What if we are an even more realistic version of The Sims?
And the ones who made us are watching at a speed that is like we view The Sims when we
play it?
Days for us may be seconds for them (not unlike a computer making calculations and such).
Does that all mean that we're not alive?
That we're some "toys" for someone elses "amusement"?
Not exactly.
After all, life is not something that can be quantified as easily as "alive" or "not".
Plants are alive, but they aren't like animals.
Animals are alive, but only humans can do certain things like talk in multiple languages,
build with tools beyond basics like a hammer, and so on and so forth.
And of course, there's the A.I. question.
Whether computer intelligence is truly alive because it can think like a real person.
Is Watson alive because he can tell when something is going to happen BEFORE it happens because
that's what his programming asks of him?
This was actually a question posed in Star Ocean after Fayt's "universe" was erased by
the creator of it.
Fayt found out that he was still alive, and that nothing could change that.
So shouldn't we take solace in knowing that this is real enough to be a worthy existence?
And IF you're still looking for more proof as to why we are in a simulation, let's look
at one of the most important questions in our "universe".
Mainly...are we alone in it?
Think about it, if this was a truly unique and/or created universe, wouldn't it go to
reason that there would be more life out there than on just one planet?
Would it be LOGICAL to say that there is OTHERS out there besides just the human race?
But if this was just a simulation...if this was a "reflection" of life...it would make
more sense to just have ONE species on ONE planet?
Especially if that species is VERY unlikely to reach space travel before it's time for
a "reset' or an "expansion" of life?
Many people believe that life is out there, and while the universe is big, and we can
say that there is a chance that life is out there...many find it odd that we haven't found
it already.
Because a "natural" universe likely wouldn't just have one species of life on one planet.
It would be more evenly distributed.
And maybe it is in another simulation!
After all, we can't truly know how many simulations are out there.
There could be ones that have multiple species on various planets that fight each other.
Or maybe ones that only show microscopic life in scenarios where it can't evolve.
Who knows?
The point is, while it may be easy to mock someone because of the whole, "oh they believe
we live in a simulation, what a nut job!" belief...there are some very smart people
who think this isn't real.
And if reality isn't real...well then...woah.
Thanks for watching everyone!
What did you think of this dissection of whether our own reality is actually real?
Do you think that we are living in some kind of simulation and/or alternative kind of reality?
Or do you think there is another answer to whether we are real or not?
Let me know in the comments below, be sure to subscribe, and I'll see you next time on
the channel!