<s>
The	O
simulation	B-Application
theory	O
is	O
the	O
hypothesis	O
that	O
reality	O
could	O
be	O
simulated	O
—	O
for	O
example	O
by	O
quantum	B-Architecture
computer	I-Architecture
simulation	B-Application
—	O
to	O
a	O
degree	O
indistinguishable	O
from	O
"	O
true	O
"	O
reality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
could	O
contain	O
conscious	O
minds	O
that	O
may	O
or	O
may	O
not	O
know	O
that	O
they	O
live	O
inside	O
a	O
simulation	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
quite	O
different	O
from	O
the	O
current	O
,	O
technologically	O
achievable	O
concept	O
of	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
,	O
which	O
is	O
easily	O
distinguished	O
from	O
the	O
experience	O
of	O
actuality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Simulated	B-Architecture
reality	I-Architecture
,	O
by	O
contrast	O
,	O
would	O
be	O
hard	O
or	O
impossible	O
to	O
separate	O
from	O
"	O
true	O
"	O
reality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
simulation	B-Application
hypothesis	O
was	O
first	O
theorized	O
as	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
philosophical	O
argument	O
on	O
the	O
part	O
of	O
René	O
Descartes	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
by	O
Hans	O
Moravec	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
philosopher	O
Nick	O
Bostrom	O
developed	O
an	O
expanded	O
argument	O
examining	O
the	O
probability	O
of	O
our	O
reality	O
being	O
a	O
simulation	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Human	O
civilization	O
or	O
a	O
comparable	O
civilization	O
is	O
unlikely	O
to	O
reach	O
a	O
level	O
of	O
technological	O
maturity	O
capable	O
of	O
producing	O
simulated	B-Architecture
realities	I-Architecture
or	O
such	O
simulations	O
are	O
physically	O
impossible	O
to	O
construct	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
comparable	O
civilization	O
reaching	O
aforementioned	O
technological	O
status	O
will	O
likely	O
not	O
produce	O
a	O
significant	O
number	O
of	O
simulated	B-Architecture
realities	I-Architecture
(	O
one	O
that	O
might	O
push	O
the	O
probable	O
existence	O
of	O
digital	O
entities	O
beyond	O
the	O
probable	O
number	O
of	O
"	O
real	O
"	O
entities	O
in	O
a	O
Universe	O
)	O
for	O
any	O
of	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
reasons	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
diversion	O
of	O
computational	O
processing	O
power	O
for	O
other	O
tasks	O
,	O
ethical	O
considerations	O
of	O
holding	O
entities	O
captive	O
in	O
simulated	B-Architecture
realities	I-Architecture
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Any	O
entities	O
with	O
our	O
general	O
set	O
of	O
experiences	O
are	O
almost	O
certainly	O
living	O
in	O
a	O
simulation	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
We	O
will	O
have	O
no	O
way	O
of	O
knowing	O
that	O
we	O
live	O
in	O
a	O
simulation	B-Application
because	O
we	O
will	O
never	O
reach	O
the	O
technological	O
capacity	O
to	O
realize	O
the	O
marks	O
of	O
a	O
simulated	B-Architecture
reality	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bostrom	O
's	O
argument	O
rests	O
on	O
the	O
premises	O
that	O
given	O
sufficiently	O
advanced	O
technology	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
possible	O
to	O
represent	O
the	O
populated	O
surface	O
of	O
the	O
Earth	O
without	O
recourse	O
to	O
digital	B-General_Concept
physics	I-General_Concept
;	O
that	O
the	O
qualia	O
experienced	O
by	O
a	O
simulated	O
consciousness	O
are	O
comparable	O
or	O
equivalent	O
to	O
those	O
of	O
a	O
naturally	O
occurring	O
human	O
consciousness	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
levels	O
of	O
simulation	B-Application
within	O
simulations	O
would	O
be	O
feasible	O
given	O
only	O
a	O
modest	O
expenditure	O
of	O
computational	O
resources	O
in	O
the	O
real	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Epistemologically	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
impossible	O
to	O
tell	O
whether	O
we	O
are	O
living	O
in	O
a	O
simulation	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Bostrom	O
suggests	O
that	O
a	O
window	O
could	O
pop	O
up	O
saying	O
:	O
"	O
You	O
are	O
living	O
in	O
a	O
simulation	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
imperfections	O
in	O
a	O
simulated	B-Application
environment	I-Application
might	O
be	O
difficult	O
for	O
the	O
native	O
inhabitants	O
to	O
identify	O
and	O
for	O
purposes	O
of	O
authenticity	O
,	O
even	O
the	O
simulated	O
memory	O
of	O
a	O
blatant	O
revelation	O
might	O
be	O
purged	O
programmatically	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
relevant	O
to	O
the	O
simulation	B-Application
hypothesis	O
in	O
that	O
it	O
illustrates	O
how	O
a	O
simulation	B-Application
could	O
contain	O
conscious	O
subjects	O
,	O
as	O
required	O
by	O
a	O
"	O
virtual	O
people	O
"	O
simulation	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
computationalism	O
is	O
correct	O
and	O
if	O
there	O
is	O
no	O
problem	O
in	O
generating	O
artificial	O
consciousness	O
or	O
cognition	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
establish	O
the	O
theoretical	O
possibility	O
of	O
a	O
simulated	B-Architecture
reality	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
would	O
undermine	O
Nick	O
Bostrom	O
's	O
simulation	B-Application
argument	O
;	O
we	O
cannot	O
be	O
a	O
simulated	O
consciousness	O
,	O
if	O
consciousness	O
,	O
as	O
we	O
know	O
it	O
,	O
cannot	O
be	O
simulated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
skeptical	O
hypothesis	O
remains	O
intact	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
and	O
we	O
could	O
still	O
be	O
vatted	O
brains	O
,	O
existing	O
as	O
conscious	O
beings	O
within	O
a	O
simulated	B-Application
environment	I-Application
,	O
even	O
if	O
consciousness	O
cannot	O
be	O
simulated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
been	O
suggested	O
that	O
whereas	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
would	O
enable	O
a	O
participant	O
to	O
experience	O
only	O
three	O
senses	O
(	O
sight	O
,	O
sound	O
and	O
optionally	O
smell	O
)	O
,	O
simulated	B-Architecture
reality	I-Architecture
would	O
enable	O
all	O
five	O
(	O
including	O
taste	O
and	O
touch	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
theorists	O
have	O
argued	O
that	O
if	O
the	O
"	O
consciousness-is-computation	O
"	O
version	O
of	O
computationalism	O
and	O
mathematical	O
realism	O
(	O
or	O
radical	O
mathematical	O
Platonism	O
)	O
are	O
true	O
then	O
consciousnesses	O
is	O
computation	O
,	O
which	O
in	O
principle	O
is	O
platform	O
independent	O
and	O
thus	O
admits	O
of	O
simulation	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hans	O
Moravec	O
has	O
explored	O
the	O
simulation	B-Application
hypothesis	O
and	O
has	O
argued	O
for	O
a	O
kind	O
of	O
mathematical	O
Platonism	O
according	O
to	O
which	O
every	O
object	O
(	O
including	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
stone	O
)	O
can	O
be	O
regarded	O
as	O
implementing	O
every	O
possible	O
computation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
dream	O
could	O
be	O
considered	O
a	O
type	O
of	O
simulation	B-Application
capable	O
of	O
fooling	O
someone	O
who	O
is	O
asleep	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
the	O
dream	O
argument	O
and	O
the	O
simulation	B-Application
hypothesis	O
can	O
be	O
regarded	O
as	O
skeptical	O
hypotheses	O
;	O
however	O
in	O
raising	O
these	O
doubts	O
,	O
just	O
as	O
Descartes	O
noted	O
that	O
his	O
own	O
thinking	O
led	O
him	O
to	O
be	O
convinced	O
of	O
his	O
own	O
existence	O
,	O
the	O
existence	O
of	O
the	O
argument	O
itself	O
is	O
testament	O
to	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
its	O
own	O
truth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
state	O
of	O
mind	O
in	O
which	O
some	O
argue	O
an	O
individual	O
's	O
perceptions	O
have	O
no	O
physical	O
basis	O
in	O
the	O
real	O
world	O
is	O
psychosis	B-Application
,	O
though	O
psychosis	B-Application
may	O
have	O
a	O
physical	O
basis	O
in	O
the	O
real	O
world	O
and	O
explanations	O
vary	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
recent	O
years	O
of	O
dream	O
research	O
,	O
the	O
argument	O
of	O
characterizing	O
dreaming	O
as	O
a	O
simulation	B-Application
has	O
become	O
widely	O
accepted	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
creating	O
theories	O
about	O
the	O
purpose	O
and	O
functions	O
of	O
dreaming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
fact	O
,	O
dream	O
researcher	O
Tore	O
A	O
.	O
Nielsen	O
wrote	O
in	O
his	O
2010	O
paper	O
"	O
Dream	O
analysis	O
and	O
classification	O
:	O
The	O
reality	O
simulation	B-Application
perspective	O
"	O
that	O
the	O
idea	O
that	O
dreaming	O
is	O
a	O
complex	O
simulation	B-Application
of	O
the	O
world	O
in	O
consciousness	O
during	O
sleep	O
may	O
be	O
a	O
conception	O
of	O
dreaming	O
and	O
simulated	B-Architecture
reality	I-Architecture
that	O
many	O
dream	O
researchers	O
would	O
have	O
a	O
hard	O
time	O
coming	O
to	O
accept	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
well	O
,	O
dreams	O
place	O
us	O
in	O
this	O
virtually	O
simulated	B-Architecture
reality	I-Architecture
that	O
places	O
many	O
characters	O
and	O
people	O
in	O
our	O
lives	O
in	O
the	O
dream	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
dreaming	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
simulated	B-Architecture
reality	I-Architecture
,	O
the	O
question	O
arises	O
whether	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
describe	O
to	O
social	O
reality	O
that	O
the	O
dream	O
allows	O
us	O
to	O
be	O
in	O
too	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Known	O
as	O
the	O
idea	O
of	O
Nested	O
Simulations	O
:	O
the	O
existence	O
of	O
simulated	B-Architecture
reality	I-Architecture
is	O
seen	O
to	O
be	O
unprovable	O
in	O
any	O
concrete	O
sense	O
as	O
there	O
is	O
an	O
infinite	O
regress	O
problem	O
with	O
the	O
argument	O
:	O
any	O
evidence	O
that	O
is	O
directly	O
observed	O
could	O
be	O
another	O
simulation	B-Application
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
if	O
we	O
are	O
a	O
simulated	B-Architecture
reality	I-Architecture
,	O
there	O
is	O
no	O
way	O
to	O
be	O
sure	O
the	O
beings	O
running	O
the	O
simulation	B-Application
are	O
not	O
themselves	O
a	O
simulation	B-Application
and	O
the	O
operators	O
of	O
that	O
simulation	B-Application
are	O
not	O
a	O
simulation	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
involves	O
a	O
simulation	B-Application
or	O
an	O
entity	O
in	O
the	O
simulation	B-Application
,	O
creating	O
another	O
instance	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
simulation	B-Application
,	O
running	O
it	O
and	O
using	O
its	O
results	O
"	O
(	O
Pooch	O
and	O
Sullivan	O
2000	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2019	O
,	O
philosopher	O
suggested	O
that	O
it	O
may	O
be	O
best	O
not	O
to	O
find	O
out	O
if	O
we	O
're	O
living	O
in	O
a	O
computer	B-Application
simulation	I-Application
since	O
,	O
if	O
it	O
were	O
found	O
to	O
be	O
true	O
,	O
such	O
knowing	O
may	O
end	O
the	O
simulation	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
people	O
transition	O
most	O
of	O
their	O
lives	O
to	O
virtual	O
metaverse	O
worlds	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
the	O
potential	O
for	O
those	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
to	O
present	O
those	O
people	O
with	O
false	O
truths	O
,	O
thereby	O
diverging	O
people	O
’s	O
perception	O
of	O
reality	O
from	O
true	O
reality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whereas	O
fully	O
simulated	B-Architecture
realities	I-Architecture
face	O
significant	O
technical	O
challenges	O
to	O
create	O
,	O
divergent	O
virtual	B-Application
realities	I-Application
are	O
easier	O
to	O
manufacture	O
if	O
societies	O
transition	O
to	O
fully	O
operating	O
in	O
virtual	O
metaverse	O
worlds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Simulated	B-Architecture
reality	I-Architecture
in	O
fiction	O
has	O
been	O
looked	O
at	O
by	O
many	O
authors	O
,	O
game	O
designers	O
and	O
film	O
directors	O
,	O
most	O
notably	O
explored	O
in	O
the	O
1999	O
film	O
The	O
Matrix	O
and	O
portrayed	O
in	O
the	O
2018	O
film	O
Ready	O
Player	O
One	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
a	O
Der	O
Spiegel	O
editorial	O
article	O
,	O
referring	O
to	O
thecomputer-generated	O
images	O
of	O
the	O
Seven	O
Houses	O
for	O
No	O
One	O
series	O
,	O
prompted	O
debates	O
about	O
simulated	B-Architecture
reality	I-Architecture
in	O
architecture	O
:	O
"	O
The	O
young	O
Italian	O
architect	O
took	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
fiction	O
and	O
reality	O
can	O
hardly	O
be	O
distinguished	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Elon	O
Musk	O
,	O
the	O
CEO	O
of	O
Tesla	O
and	O
SpaceX	O
,	O
has	O
had	O
much	O
to	O
say	O
about	O
the	O
concept	O
that	O
our	O
reality	B-Architecture
is	I-Architecture
a	I-Architecture
simulation	I-Architecture
including	O
:	O
"	O
The	O
odds	O
that	O
we	O
are	O
in	O
base	O
reality	O
is	O
one	O
in	O
billions	O
"	O
which	O
he	O
said	O
at	O
a	O
conference	O
in	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Musk	O
has	O
also	O
speculated	O
that	O
the	O
odds	O
of	O
us	O
living	O
in	O
a	O
simulated	B-Architecture
reality	I-Architecture
or	O
computer	O
made	O
by	O
others	O
is	O
about	O
a	O
99.9	O
%	O
chance	O
at	O
various	O
other	O
press	O
conferences	O
and	O
events	O
and	O
on	O
the	O
Joe	O
Rogan	O
Podcast	O
.	O
</s>
