Guest Paragon Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 The NY Times writes about a theory that we live in a simulated universe, created by someone in the future with the computer or math skills to create such a simulation. If Adam Smith has already propounded on this, forgive me, but it seems right up his alley. The idea that someone 1000 years in the future is running us seems ludicrous. But it would take away any responsibility we have for doing wrong,right? Take a look and let me know what you (or your programmer) thinks: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/opinion/sunday/is-the-universe-a-simulation.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lookin Posted February 18, 2014 Members Share Posted February 18, 2014 Way back in junior high, it occurred to me that I might be just a brain on a shelf hooked up to an experimenter's electrodes and playing out his scenario of a lifetime. What seemed like years to me could be just a few seconds in the lab. It was fun to think about, though I concluded I'd have no way of knowing. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any kind of a power outage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RA1 Posted February 18, 2014 Members Share Posted February 18, 2014 Aren't we all pawns with present day manipulators? No need to speculate about those in the future. I am not saving money for anti-gravity boots. Best regards, RA1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PasadenaCA Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 The NY Times writes about a theory that we live in a simulated universe, created by someone in the future with the computer or math skills to create such a simulation. If Adam Smith has already propounded on this, forgive me, but it seems right up his alley. The idea that someone 1000 years in the future is running us seems ludicrous. But it would take away any responsibility we have for doing wrong,right? Take a look and let me know what you (or your programmer) thinks: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/opinion/sunday/is-the-universe-a-simulation.html So, who's running his universe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paragon Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 So, who's running his universe? That's an excellent question. I wonder why he made you ask it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Maybe we all have a purpose... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamSmith Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 But whose purpose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gcursor Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 After taking my Philosophy class last term, I believe that we do not possess the free will that we think we do. I believe that we are a product of Nature and we operate according to the laws that Nature have in place for us. I do not think we have the capability mentally or physically to operate outside our "framework" of rules and guidelines. People don't really have the ability to understand everything that goes on around us however we are all too happy to slap it with a "solved" message when all we truly understand is a small portion of the giant system. Take for example, dark matter. Apparently this might exist in the universe but nobody understands how or where it is. We keep looking for it and dark matter keeps eluding the smartest scientists on Earth. I'm not even sure we have such a thing as dark matter because I don't think we truly understand everything that created the galaxy to begin with. However even though we don't completely understand everything in the Universe, we're all too happy to say that it was created by the "big bang" and there is a lot of dark matter out there that is holding the galaxy together. We know so little about our world and the stuff around us. We could be living in a version of the Matrix for all we know. We just don't know everything that we pretend to know and unless we stop practicing that then we'll never really get to understand the true reason of why we're here. Although truth be known, if people knew the reason why we were truly here then there lives would probably become very empty and meaningless and suicides would probably spike way up since we, as human beings, always have a yearning to be curious and learn new things. If that ultimate reason was taken away from us then we would feel powerless in our lives and probably collapse in a pile of our own saliva. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paragon Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 All the more reason to be agnostic than atheist! We simply don't have enough information to make a decision on whether there is a god. The whole dark matter topic shows how little we know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RA1 Posted February 22, 2014 Members Share Posted February 22, 2014 Isn't everything a theory anyway? Regardless, it seems that it is the nature of mankind to try to explain things. So, over the years, bits and pieces of speculation are added until someone or some group thinks there is enough for a theory. Then, some of those who are interested, spend the rest of their lives trying to prove or disprove it. I see no problem with this approach. We have enjoyed a lot of advances throughout whether we "completely" understand things or not. Empirical evidence works for me. Best regards, RA1 AdamSmith 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Suckrates Posted February 23, 2014 Members Share Posted February 23, 2014 Puppets ? I am not sure if I would ever allow anyones hand up my butt, but sometimes I do enjoy a good Fingering....... AdamSmith 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Oh my Suckrates I thought you didn't like ass play. As for being a puppet, I think our brain is wired to make us live in a certain way. In that sense we are all programmed and designed. Is it the mother nature or is there God who governs everything who programs us? I believe science will bring us more close to God rather than separate us from God. Maybe we will have a different perspective on religion and god in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
