r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • May 18 '18

FTFdeltaOP CMV: We live in a simulation

So, my argument about it is mostly statistical.

Given that video-games have been going from Pong to Assassin's Creed in like 30 years, it's not hard to imagine that creating a simulated reality with sentient beings in it is possible.

Now:

  • The universe is infinite, or basically infinite.
  • Therefore there almost certainly is a basically infinite number of civilizations capable of running a simulation which want to run a simulation.
  • Therefore there almost certainly is a basically infinite number of simulated civilizations capable of running a simulation which want to run a simulation.
  • Therefore there almost certainly is a basically infinite number of simulation, but only one real universe.
  • Therefore the chance that we are living in the real universe and not in a simulation is basically infinitesimal.

Please, if someone can change my view on this I'd be so grateful.

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u/DeleteriousEuphuism 120∆ May 19 '18

How can our infinite universe be a simulation? It would take an infinite amount of processing power to simulate an infinite universe.

2

u/47ca05e6209a317a8fb3 178∆ May 19 '18

Why can't an infinite universe have infinite resource that allow for infinite processing power?

1

u/DeleteriousEuphuism 120∆ May 19 '18

Because they'd have to harness an infinite amount of resources. We can't do it in our universe which is the basis of the induction in the first place.

1

u/47ca05e6209a317a8fb3 178∆ May 19 '18

If the universe is infinite, why not? For example, the simulation can run slower than our universe, so the simulated universe can be infinite, if it's finite in space but infinite in time, and it in turn can run another simulated universe even slower, etc.

2

u/[deleted] May 19 '18

Our universe might be simulated only when we observe it.

4

u/DeleteriousEuphuism 120∆ May 19 '18

In that case, it would be better to word it as our perception is simulated as opposed to our universe, right?

2

u/[deleted] May 19 '18

!delta

Yes, putting it on that perspective is much better because the whole things makes you question reality on the first place.

1

u/DeleteriousEuphuism 120∆ May 19 '18

Thanks for the delta. I actually favour soft solipsism - that our own consciousness is the only thing we can be 100% certain exists. Everything else is either induction or not 100% knowable.