What is the simulation argument?
Nick Bostrom,Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University, and former stand-up comedian, came up with the name “simulation argument”. It is his position that with the development of the computer, we can now envision the possibility that we, ourselves, are nothing more than a computer simulation of a more advanced civilization, designed to further their own advancement. This idea has been mentioned in physical terms ever since the days of Descartes’ 17th century assertion “I think, therefore I am. Many people have interpreted this to mean that perhaps our entire universe is actually a creation of our own mind, and not ‘real’.
The simulation argument was set forth in a paper published in 2003. A draft of that paper had previously been circulated for a couple of years. The argument shows that at least one of the following propositions is true: (1) the human species is very likely to go extinct before reaching a “posthuman” stage; (2) any posthuman civilization is extremely unlikely to run a significant number of simulations of their evolutionary history (or variations thereof); (3) we are almost certainly living in a computer simulation. It follows that the belief that there is a significant chance that we will one day become posthumans who run ancestor-simulations is false, unless we are currently living in a simulation. A number of other consequences of this result are also discussed. The argument has attracted a considerable amount of attention, among scientists and philosophers as well as in the media. References: N. Bostrom, “Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?” Philosophical Quarterly, 2003, Vol. 5
The Simulation argument was set forth in a paper published in 2003. A draft of that paper had previously been circulated for a couple of years. The argument shows that at least one of the following propositions is true: (1) the human species is very likely to go extinct before reaching a “posthuman” stage; (2) any posthuman civilization is extremely unlikely to run a significant number of simulations of their evolutionary history (or variations thereof); (3) we are almost certainly living in a computer simulation. It follows that the belief that there is a significant chance that we will one day become posthumans who run ancestor-simulations is false, unless we are currently living in a simulation. A number of other consequences of this result are also discussed. Continue to the FAQ page … Nick Bostrom (2007) Version 1.3 www.simulation-argument.
The Simulation Argument, formulated by Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom, presents the case that there may be a high probability our world is a computer simulation being run by a more advanced, “posthuman” race. More precisely, the Simulation Argument argues that “at least one of the following propositions is true: (1) the human species is very likely to go extinct before reaching a “posthuman” stage; (2) any posthuman civilization is extremely unlikely to run a significant number of simulations of their evolutionary history (or variations thereof); (3) we are almost certainly living in a computer simulation”. (Quoted from Bostrom’s paper introducing the Simulation Argument, “Are You Living In a Computer Simulation?”) The Simulation Argument begins with the assumption that it is theoretically possible for a highly advanced race to arrange information-processing modules (neurons, circuits, whatever) in configurations that represent self-contained worlds inhabited by conscious beings. In t
