Just Variables in Code: Some Scientists Believe Our Universe Is a Simulation

 The idea that our universe might be nothing more than a complex simulation has intrigued thinkers for centuries, moving from philosophical musings to scientific discourse.

In recent years, the idea has gained momentum, with researchers exploring different ways to substantiate or disprove the simulation hypothesis.

One such researcher is physicist Melvin Vopson, who introduced the “Second Law of Infodynamics.” This principle suggests that in systems containing information states, information entropy remains constant or decreases over time, in contrast to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that physical entropy increases.

Vopson’s work suggests that the universe’s tendency toward symmetry and order may indicate the presence of an underlying information framework, similar to a computational process....<<<Read More>>>...

 

Are We Living in a Computer Simulation? An Experimental Test

 In anticipation for my next public lecture, the organizer requested the title of my lecture. I suggested: “Hunting for Aliens.” The organizer expressed concern that some members of the audience might confuse me for a U.S. government employee in search of illegal aliens near the southern border wall. I explained that no two-dimensional wall erected on Earth would protect us from extraterrestrials because they will arrive from above.

It is just a matter of time until we notice interstellar travelers arriving without a proper visa. A policy of deporting them back to their home exoplanet will be expensive — over a billion dollars per flight. The trip will also take a long time — over a billion years with conventional chemical propulsion. We will have to learn how to live with these aliens, and promote diversity and inclusion in a Galactic context.

The Sun formed in the last third of cosmic history, so we are relatively late to the party of interstellar travelers. Experienced travelers might have been engaged in their interstellar journeys for billions of years. To properly interpret their recorded diaries and photo albums in terms of the specific stars they visited, we would need to accurately interpret their time measurements....<<<Read More>>>...

 

Scientists Now Suggest the Universe Itself May Be Conscious

 You don’t have to look far to find outlandish theories on the nature of the cosmos and human consciousness. These days, notions once relegated to science fiction are finding their way into esoteric academic journals, and from there, into mainstream discourse.

One example of this is the Simulation Argument, championed by Elon Musk; another is “time crystals,” a tantalizing non-linear phase of matter. The newest symphony of mind jazz being broadcast across the Internet posits new ideas about the embattled theory of “panpsychism,” or the belief that mind is a fundamental property of the physical universe and is imbued into all states of matter....<<<Read More>>>...