Do we live in a Simulated Reality?

ill tell yall this much. when i take mushrooms and the one time i took mescaline, i felt i was being "monitored" by supreme beings. and like if i started thinking too much outside conventional thought then i would be dubbed as crazy or something along those lines. like we are in a petri dish or something of the sort and they (or it) is "godly" to us. intertwined with all and if i figure the system out then i can lose it. i of course was on psychedelics but yall get the gist of what im running with.

it was frigtening at first but then it was peaceful and VERY powerful. like in the sense that enlightenment can be a painful path and/or an enlivening one. .....wow

Originally posted by Skyfloating
Questions to ALL:

Ever look out of an airplane window, down at our planet...what does it all remind you of?

Would you change your behavior if you knew everything is simulated?

[edit on 17-1-2009 by Skyfloating]

Every time I look out of a plane window I am struck by the power of perspective. You look down and it's as if the world is packaged tighter. On the ground, if I hold my fingers and thumbs together in front of me (you know, like directors do when they are framing a scene), I might fit a tree or a house or (if looking far enough away) a few city blocks or a mountain. Do the same thing from a plane and you can fit a decent chunk of the state that city resides in, or the entire mountain range.

I realize that seems simplistic but it always 'trips me out'. It makes me think of the levels of smallness and largeness that we cannot comprehend. I mean what's in the space between all those atoms, and what is beyond the 'universe'?

I also tend to think that we as humans look, from that high up perspective, like a cancer. I think Joe Rogan made a similar observation when discussing a '___' experience but I think a lot of people have felt this. You fly over a big city and see the cars and buildings and smog and it just seems like we are an ever growing disease consuming our host. We damn rivers and divert water flow to better suit our needs just as cancer creates new blood vessels to feed it's needs. We use more and more of our host's resources as we grow, as cancer does. We disrupt the balance of other systems and processes in our host as we grow, as cancer does. The analogies are endless.

I don't feel like this is a particularly deep thought, and it's not one I like to dwell on.

As for changing my behavior, I would hope I could free myself from my preconceptions and take advantage of the potential benefits this realization would present. I mean if it is all a hologram does that mean I can redefine the 'rules' as I knew them? I am actively exploring that idea from a slightly different perspective (thanks to another thread of yours oddly enough) but it certainly gives one additional food for thought. I just started reading Michael Talbot's 'The Holographic Universe' so perhaps that will lead to some better comprehension, along with this thread.

Originally posted by TeratomaWell, that stuff was symbolic, and the "real" world turned out to be what the Matrix was based on. The transition for Neo was a shock at first, then he became a superhero.

But what if the world behind the curtain is so beyond our understanding that merely glimpsing into it would turn you into a twitchy hobo that wanders the streets talking to himself? An all-knowing twitchy hobo, but one that can no longer function in this world? Ok, there is no spoon. Now please put down the gun...

It's an interesting thought, when you think of some thing those labelled as mentally ill have said, again what if some of them were really tuning into other realities, or indeed seeing what is behind the curtain?

I mean if it's all vibrations, then who knows if some can vibrate on higher frequencies that allow them to see things we don't see. Things that turn them twittchy.

All the powers of this world would have to do is tell us that anyone who sees this stuff is crazy and we would believe. What if a percentage of those in menal wards are really just tuning into other vibrational frequencies and have been unable to deal with what they found?

Then that doesn't even explain the concept that there could be other dimensions similar to our own in existance. There are so many possibilities to think about, but most often we close our minds off to them, because we don't want to be considered crazy or out of line.

That's why I like threads like this, they don't come along that often, but when they do, they are so much fun, cause they generate so much discussion, and so many ideas and concepts.

reply to post by just_another_yourself


Exactly, One should endure the pain of enlightenment, because the truth is the truth, would you rather live in a lie, or the truth? Some can live a lie, and are happy to do so, but I cannot, I feel there is more purpose in this life, and that I need to figure out what it was SOONER than I am, i feel like a failure for not figuring it out yet... but maybe thats just paranoia? Who really knows.

Psychedelics i think was the wrong word to use tho man, Psychedelic is supposed to be a good thing, or was that your point?

This just reminds me of Star Ocean: Till the end of time. An entire universe that's just a simulation. At the end of the game, the main characters succeed in turning the simulation off. Because the people had faith in their own existence, believed that they were more than 1's and 0's, they continued to exist outside of the simulation.

That game really did spark some interesting thoughts. (Also... neon genesis evangelion and Big O aided in the thought process)

How would you know if the universe is real? We exist within the boundaries of the universe, so then, are we equally as real as the universe we inhabit? Or are we separately more real or less real? Wondering about the universe will inevitably result in wondering about your own personal existence.

What defines a persons existence? What is the proof that you exist? The only existence you can even remotely be semi-sure of is your own, because you are limited to the confines of your own mind. The fragment of you that exists in the minds of others, or rather their perception of you, is only a distorted reflection based in their interpretations. But how can you be sure that "others" aren't a delusion, a simulation, or a dream? How can you be sure that all your memories aren't manufactured and false?

Naturally, you can't really be particularly sure of much. I don't know if the universe is a simulation, a hologram, just as we see it, or something else. But I'd like to think that I, myself, am more than 1's and 0's

Originally posted by Lasheic
reply to post by rizla

 

I think this article is a bit more tailored for this discussion.

Matter is fluctuations in the Quantum Vacuum.

I don't see how.

Originally posted by cognoscente

It's sad how in most cases we can't talk about this, and the many other totally engrossing and tantalizing theories that we all share on ATS, with people other than members of this forum, and without being called insane or strange. Anyone else feel this? I guess critical thinking causes marginalization. The intellectuals were always the first to go during the proletariat uprisings of this past twentieth century. The rationale was that "if everyone thought like them, there would be no food on the table."


That such mob-like thinking is even valid in this modern age totally perplexes me. Why is intellectualism perceived as such a massive threat to the majority?
[edit on 17-1-2009 by cognoscente]

Think about what the rest of the population are being condition to think about. Britney, Britney, Britney. So conversations like this don't really fit into that mold. I think true critical thinking in every time period has caused marginalization if not death. The intellectuals are still the first to go. Just look at who gets targeted for mobbing and bullying in society, and who is left running the companies and the country, and why you then have the situation you have now. I digress.

The mob thinking is alive and well, and for those who do not conform, you will be labelled and singled out for persecution if possible. Why intellectualism is pervcived as a threat I don't know. Maybe they are just worried that the intellectuals will actually make sense if people start to listen, they will take over, and a threat to power is a threat to power, who knows.

Omg, this thread is just like the one I made not so long ago. Is life real or just an illusion?

reply to post by Rocketgirl


This idea has been popping up all over the place for me over the last few months especially. I used this example in one of these threads on this the other night as evidence to the claim that consciousness is eternal and interconnected.

I think there is a shift beginning to occur, but that's just me.

reply to post by Jay-in-AR


I think you might be right.

Not to burst anyone's bubble, but this idea is one of the oldest concepts in western philosophical thought. A lot of the speculation on this thread would be clarified and eliminated with some basic readings into very well-known philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Kant, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Rorty and others.

It's fun to speculate; but the fact is this is well-trodden ground, with well-understood constructs, arguments and conclusions having been in place for literally thousands of years. I strongly suggest some serious philosophical reading before getting too excited, especially about the idea that "something is coming" because these ideas are "cropping up a lot lately."

Great topic for getting the cobwebs out from between the ears. Where to start...
If we are "living" in a computer generated game created by highly advanced beings did we get to choose our "game characters"? I don't buy the theory that our mind/bodys are computer-like so there we came from computers. WE have created computers in OUR own image or process.

And everyone must remember to put their Newtonian physics books away, esp those of us who went to Catholic grade school. Even Einstein predicted "spooky science" in the middle of the 20th century and yes it has been proven that subatomic particles comunicate over great distances well in excess of the "Unbreakable" speed of light.

Is our world someone else's toy? I've always liked the RIVERWORD series of books by Jose Philip Farmer for a scifi example.

If anyone would like to read an excellent primer on real versus non-real must-reading is Illusions by Richard Bach. It's a well-written story that explores, well, is everything an illusion.

Keep up the thoughts!

brainguykc
"Never give a gun to a duck" Kliban

reply to post by Skyfloating


SkyFloat, I've been thinking about that same idea, but usually I just use whatever is the idee-du-jour.....to access myATS......

This time I jumped on YOUR idee-du-jour...and, I apololgize for using this idea, since I am NOT that computer savvy, even thought I can spell....well, I cannot, obviously, spell "apologize"...but that doesn't matter, right now...

Since we're on about this concept.....I think we need to rembrance and re-arealize what the point was, and/or were. Lest we go on, and such as, given eyerague, and there fore....and such.....

EDIT...What was the original idea????? Oh, yeah....DO WE LIVE in a completlly invented WORLD???

(Oh, Man....how does one spell 'remembrance'? AND, what in the heck is 'eyerague' supposed to mean????)

(or,what in the HECK is the word 'completlly')????

Talk about methods of mass destruction, I think we've found them!!!!

[edit on 1/17/0909 by weedwhacker]

When do dreams become nightmares and nightmares reality?

Answer that correctly and you will understand with complete wakened clarity what is simulated and then know without doubt or question the true reality of our human condition.

All i can say is go to youtube search for Surkin - Next of kin

Its as simple as 1 is 3

reply to post by Walkswithfish


Walkswithfish you bastid!! haha

Do you know how long I will be thinking on a way to anwser your question!!! I hate you. lol

edit to add

Im not being rude, please dont delete, ats needs rough humor from time to time

[edit on 17-1-2009 by rjmelter]

Great thread - star and flag!

Exactly these thoughts keep my mind busy recently, after i have read about such speculations and related cientific discoveries before, here on ATS during the last weeks / months.

The more i read and think about it, the more plausible it seems to me that we indeed live in some huge and extremely advanced simulated reality (our universe).

Just a few days ago i saw this thread and read this article about scientists who discovered holographic noise from quantum convulsions of space-time from the boundary of our universe, and thus consider the probability that our universe is a giant 3D hologram (i highly recommend everyone to read it).

And a couple of months earlier we had this: [National Geographic] Unknown "Structures" Tugging at Universe, Study Says

I found a site with several researched papers discussing this possibility on it. You may want to check it out: Simlation argument

I also found these videos on youtube. This is part one of a six part series



I hope you all enjoy

As a computer programmer...I find this very interesting. Millions of years ago, a civilization created a "game" that "we" (whoever we are) could play. A computer program with millions of years of updates would be pretty convincing and easy to get lost within...and forget that it is a program.

Gonna have to contemplate that a while.

Originally posted by cognoscente
reply to post by harrytuttle

 

I guess critical thinking causes marginalization. The intellectuals were always the first to go during the proletariat uprisings of this past twentieth century. The rationale was that "if everyone thought like them, there would be no food on the table." That such mob-like thinking is even valid in this modern age totally perplexes me. Why is intellectualism perceived as such a massive threat to the majority?
[edit on 17-1-2009 by cognoscente]

Fear. I think deep down everyone - no matter what they claim, be they religious, agnostic, atheist, scientist, what have you - everyone kind of knows there's something more to our reality/world/life on an instinctual/intuitive if not conscious level. But, they don't know what that something more is or what it could mean - it's basically a large unknown that could mean death or cessation of existence. Since fear of death/fear of not existing is the most widespread, deeply ingrained fear there is, I think most people would rather maintain a bubble of "reality consists of only what my five senses tells me" and not dig deeper and question what the "something more" of reality could be. Intellectual/philosophical thought almost always forces people to leave their bubbles and to confront that unknown and many people just don't like being shaken up like that.

edit to add another movie for the list: The Nines, about an advanced being who created the universe (like a video game or something) to play in and got addicted to the game and lost/stuck in it.

[edit on 1/18/2009 by Nameless Hussy]