Are we all in The Matrix? How would we know if we were?
The idea that we might all be living in a computer simulation was popularized by the 1999 movie The Matrix. This idea–which is many ways a variant of questions humans have asked for thousands of years–has recently been given a new twist by some philosophers. (See, e.g., http://www.simulation-argument.com/.)
The Knowing the Future curricular theme hosts physicist Dr. Silas Beane presenting a general-interest seminar on “Are you living in a simulation?” on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 4:10 p.m. in Clippinger 194.
Beane will discuss the philosophical arguments that suggest we are (probably) living inside a computer simulation and their relationship to his own simulations of the interior of nuclei. He will also showcase the physical observations that he and his collaborators have pointed out can reveal that we are in a Matrix-like simulation.
Beane is Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Washington. His work has been featured in New Scientist and on the BBC.
Listen to “Can we know that we know?” on BBC.
Read “Cosmic rays offer clue our universe could be a computer simulation” on Wired.
Read “The Measurement That Would Reveal The Universe As A Computer Simulation” at Technology Review.
Read “The idea we live in a simulation isn’t science fiction” at New Scientist.
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