The simulated universe theory implies that our universe, with all its galaxies, planets and life forms, is a meticulously programmed computer simulation. In this scenario, the physical laws governing our reality are simply algorithms. The experiences we have are generated by the computational processes of an immensely advanced system.
While inherently speculative, the simulated universe theory has gained attention from scientists and philosophers due to its intriguing implications. The idea has made its mark in popular culture, across movies, TV shows and books—including the 1999 film “The Matrix.”
The earliest records of the concept that reality is an illusion are from ancient Greece. There, the question “What is the nature of our reality?” posed by Plato (427 BC) and others, gave birth to idealism. Idealist ancient thinkers such as Plato considered mind and spirit as the abiding reality. Matter, they argued, was just a manifestation or illusion.
Fast forward to modern times, and idealism has morphed into a new philosophy. This is the idea that both the material world and consciousness are part of a simulated reality. This is simply a modern extension of idealism, driven by recent technological advancements in computing and digital technologies. In both cases, the true nature of reality transcends the physical.
Within the scientific community, the concept of a simulated universe has sparked both fascination and skepticism. Some scientists suggest that if our reality is a simulation, there may be glitches or patterns within the fabric of the universe that betray its simulated nature.
However, the search for such anomalies remains a challenge. Our understanding of the laws of physics is still evolving. Ultimately, we lack a definitive framework to distinguish between simulated and non-simulated reality.
In my recent research, published in AIP Advances, I used information theory to propose a new law of physics, which I call the second law of infodynamics. And importantly, it appears to support the simulated universe theory.
At the heart of the second law of infodynamics is the concept of entropy—a measure of disorder, which always rises over time in an isolated system. When a hot cup of coffee is left on the table, after a while it will achieve equilibrium, having the same temperature with the environment. The entropy of the system is at maximum at this point, and its energy is minimum.
The second law of infodynamics states that the “information entropy” (the average amount of information conveyed by an event), must remain constant or decrease over time—up to a minimum value at equilibrium.
Okay maybe I’m just not smart enough to get this, and I think that’s probably the case, but isn’t this more in the realm of social science? Is information quantifiable in physics? I know you can quantify data, but information?
I’m not doubting it but I’m just… confused. I don’t feel like article really explained what “information” means in this instance. They said “genetic information,” but that’s also not measured by the term information. I just need like a really dumbed down guide for this…
Also this article just feels like an ad for the author’s study :/
Information is quantifiable in physics. PBS Spacetime has some videos on information theory if you’re interested. A very simple example could be the spin of a particle (say it’s either up or down). That represents one “bit” of information because it only gives you a binary response - the same as in a computer. We don’t have any great models once you get to the size of biology but in theory you can layer it up all the way from the smallest of subatomic particles and “measure” the information of anything.
Interesting. And so what does the author mean by “event” then? Just literally anything happening? Does their “law” track with events happening?
I haven’t read the paper but an event is just any interaction between particles. Just literally anything happening. I wouldn’t be trying to learn much from this write up though and highly suggest looking into some better sources of information.
Since the second law of infodynamics is a cosmological necessity, and appears to apply everywhere in the same way, it could be concluded that this indicates that the entire universe appears to be a simulated construct or a giant computer.
This is such a huge leap to make. It’s nearly equivalent to saying due to the fact that your coffee gets colder over time you can conclude that the entire universe is a simulation.
A super complex universe like ours, if it were a simulation, would require a built-in data optimization and compression in order to reduce the computational power and the data storage requirements to run the simulation.
According to? Presumably if you can simulate an entire universe you have at least orders of magnitude more computational capacity than this universe. But apparently not too much more because you would “require” compression in order to fit all that data?
Just a few things that stood out to me as wtf moments.
EDIT: I forgot the best quote in the page:
We know the universe is expanding without the loss or gain of heat, which requires the total entropy of the universe to be constant.
Not even remotely true. It’s commonly accepted that the entropy of the universe is constantly increasing and it’s got nothing to do with the the universe as a whole being unable to lose or gain heat (from an outside source). Entropy increases because what’s inside, as a whole, is moving towards a state of equilibrium.
“my law…” “my study…”
yeah, i think the author wants a law named after them. the first half of the article is also… junk?
