Billionaire Tesla head Elon Musk recently told a tech conference in California that the chance is “one in billions” that we are not living in a simulated world.
In other words, it’s almost a certainty that we’re all walking around in something akin to The Matrix — a computer-generated reality run by artificial intelligence — right this minute and the majority of us don’t even realize it.
He also said we should actually hope it is true because if it isn’t, it means we’re doomed to destruction by some other calamitous event.
Musk is not the only person to suggest this. Science fiction writer Philip K. Dick told the Metz Sci-Fi Convention in France the same thing back in 1977:
Dick said this explains the odd sense of déjà vu we all have from time-to-time.
The difference is, Musk is a respected billionaire everyone seems fascinated by; or at least they aren’t letting on that they think his suggestion is in any way out of the realm of possible… By contrast, while Dick was also a respected sci-fi writer, when he gave the audience his opinion about The Matrix, they all sort of looked at him like he was nuts.
Considering the upside-down bizarre way the world is run, it almost makes sense somehow. At the very least, one could argue that something like the movie Surrogates with Bruce Willis is coming once virtual reality becomes the main platform.
Natural hack corrects vision without glasses (Ad)
Melissa Dykes is a writer, researcher, and analyst for The Daily Sheeple and a co-creator of Truthstream Media with Aaron Dykes, a site that offers teleprompter-free, unscripted analysis of The Matrix we find ourselves living in. Melissa also co-founded Nutritional Anarchy with Daisy Luther of The Organic Prepper, a site focused on resistance through food self-sufficiency. Wake the flock up!
hmmm. So I should be able to send my programmer – that – I would like a better more adrenalin pumping lief style. I’ll get right on that – not sure what the email would be.
Maybe Arlene hast it – Americanus [email protected]
excellent parody, thank you
wealth and success does not cascade into intelligence – this sophomoric sophistry remains an embarrassment to most – but I bet he does well on video games
There is no way to actually prove either way whether you are real or a simulation. If anything it begs to better define what each alternative really suggests. Insofar as what lies beyond our own self-awareness.
Quantum physics describes various states of existence that can contradict what we believe to be the framework of reality. Yet no one disputes the validity of the math.
Black holes?
Anti matter?
Dark matter?
Dark energy?
At one time our “reality” was that the world was flat and at the center of the universe…
And even the theories surrounding time and space; is the universe infinite or finite? Those kind of questions don’t lend themselves to wonder how it all came into being? And in which case, how could we really define what is real and what is simulated? Or know the difference?
“At one time our “reality” was that the world was flat and at the center of the universe…”
Apparently that reality is coming back into vogue these days for hoi polloi and isn’t Trump the center of the universe? Well, he seems to think so.
“.. isn’t Trump the center of the universe?”
His universe, no doubt. Pretty creepy Beaver…
Well if you dummies did a little research you would find that this is a common belief in physics. Lookup ‘Holographic Universe’. There are plenty of physicists who support this theory, say Standford, Harvard etc.. university physicists do support this idea. Do a little research before you comment so as to not look as of lacking an education.
Bite me.
Two good laughs succinctly accomplished on one thread! Bravo.
“… so as to not look as of lacking an education… ” ???
Looks like you missed a few vital English classes. (I apologize if English is not your native language, in that case your poor grammar is excused.) And it’s Stanford BTW.
‘Allow me to Proctologize myself”: Damon Wayans – ‘In Living Color’.
Therefore, it’s okay to rob, cheat and kill… It’s only a simulation, not reality!
Well doesn’t that depend on whose running the simulation and why?
Religion, for instance, could be a kind of purposeful hint as to how we’re encouraged to behave. And while we have free-will to make the final decision, there still could be consequences. Like your being deleted. The potential for loss of self-awareness (death), whether “real” or not would nonetheless still be quite disconcerting wouldn’t it?
So even if it is a simulation, it is also reality. Our reality. And who are “we” in the 1st place?
If a simulation without a physical construct to power it can be programmed to be as complex as we experience, then it’s all the same anyway…
Isn’t it?
After all, we only experience “reality” through our senses, which in turn must be interpreted by our brains. There is nothing “direct” about it. What we actually believe is the “experience” is no more physical in that respect than a dream.
I wouldn’t want to risk it myself.
Mindboggling…
That has no bearing on the question of a simulation, Jarvis.
Excellent video. Thanks Mr Dile
Call me Crocodile
Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore > Restore my computer to an earlier time
Many in state mental institutions believe they are living in a simulated reality and that their crazed state is the actual reality ‘baseline’. I think it used to be called DELUSIONAL SCHIZOPHRENIA, but now we just call them “futurists” or some make believe physicist sounding ‘jobs’ to create more techno horrors.
IGNORE THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN! (he’s just a simulated NPC anyways)
Dark Matter + Light Matter = No Matter
I am not a physicist, I don’t know what type of reality we live in but all my life I have had night dreams which come true. The latest: on May 29 I had a night dream about my childhood friend of 50+ years, her husband and my mom, all of who in the real world live in one and the same country and city. I wrote the dream down in a pad I keep by my bed. The dream made no sense to me. Today is June 4. A few days ago this childhood friend told me in email that by chance this and this happened in her life which will result next week on Monday, June 6, in… and she described my night dream. Now how is this possible??? I am not inventing it!
As a teenager I knew ca 5 years in advance whom I was going to marry (my 1st husband). I knew what week I was going to meet my 2nd husband. When he finally arrived I told him he was one week late to which he responded he didn’t think it was meaningful to contact me b/c we live so far apart. At my last job I loved the job but hated the management and for 6 long years every day driving to work I knew whether I was going to see any of them or not. Every time I had pain in my physical body I was going to meet one of those nasty ppl. It never failed. One day I was coming back from my lunch break and the pain was really bothering me yet I couldn’t see any of the managers. I walked around the place to see where any of them was hiding but didn’t see any until I peaked around the corner. There was my answer! One thing is sure: we live in a reality of energies which we can feel, and energy is information.
I watch the History channel on TV and every time they talk about some new archeology discovery, saying “we” did that, wondering how could “we” do that back then without any tools so many years ago, I always shake my head, thinking: why on Earth do you say and believe “we” did that??? Obviously somebody else did that, obviously other and more advanced beings lived on this planet b/f us! Duh! But maybe it was us? Maybe we have lived on this planet many times and advanced and then killed us all and had to start from the beginning?? This could be the case even if we were a computer simulated reality. But what do I know…
It seemed to me that Elon Musk was not suggesting what the title of this article proclaims, I think he was just trying to play on the crowds interest in exposing something deeper than that; mainly, the high probability that the FUTURE will be in essence a creation of artificial intelligence, although he did not get into the details of what that might be like other than to talk about the quality of imagery recreated by today’s technology (physical screens and displays).