Rizwan Virk - The Simulation Hypothesis: An MIT Computer Scientist Shows Why AI, Quantum Physics and Eastern Mystics All Agree We Are in a Video Game

The Simulation Hypothesis, by best-selling author, renowned MIT computer scientist and Silicon Valley video game designer Rizwan Virk, explains one of the most daring and consequential theories of our time.Drawing from research and concepts from computer science, artificial intelligence, video games, quantum physics, and referencing both speculative fiction and ancient eastern spiritual texts, Virk shows how all of these traditions come together to point to the idea that we may be inside a simulated reality like the Matrix.The Simulation Hypothesis is the idea that our physical reality, far from being a solid physical universe, is part of an increasingly sophisticated video game-like simulation, where we all have multiple lives, consisting of pixels with its own internal clock run by some giant Artificial Intelligence. Simulation Theory explains some of the biggest mysteries of quantum and relativistic physics, such as quantum indeterminacy, parallel universes, and the integral nature of the speed of light.Theres a one in a billion chance we are not living in a simulation -Elon MuskI find it hard to argue we are not in a simulation. -Neil deGrasse TysonWe are living in computer generated reality. -Philip K. DickVideo game designer Riz Virk shows how the history and evolution of our video games, including virtual reality, augmented reality, Artificial Intelligence, and quantum computing could lead us to the point of being able to develop all encompassing virtual worlds like the Oasis in Ready Player One, or the simulated reality in the Matrix.While the idea sounds like science fiction, many scientists, engineers, and professors have given the Simulation Hypothesis serious consideration. But the Simulation Hypothesis is not just a modern idea. Philosophers and Mystics of all traditions have long contended that we are living in some kind of illusion and that there are other realities which we can access with our minds.Whether you are a computer scientist, a fan of science fiction like the Matrix movies, a video game enthusiast, or a spiritual seeker, The Simulation Hypothesis touches on all these areas, and you will never look at the world the same way again!The Simulation Hypothesis by Riz Virk lays out both the technical aspects of computer simulation and the mystical reasons why we can take Philip K. Dick seriously when he proposed that we are living in a computer-generated reality--Tessa B. Dick, author of Conversations with Philip K. Dick, wife of Philip K. Dick In this book, Riz Virk combines the mind of a scientist with the heart of a mystic, using video games to explain the virtual reality that we live in.--Dannion Brinkley, bestselling author of Saved by the Light and At Peace in the LightThe Simulation Hypothesis presents a radical alternative to current models of reality. Riz Virks book, relying his unique experience designing digital games, results in a stunning reappraisal of what it means to be human in an infinite universe.--Jacques Valle, venture capitalist, author of Forbidden Science, former NASA and Stanford Research Institute scientistTable of contents:-OverviewThe Simulation HypothesisDo We All Live Inside a Video Game?Science FictionHow the Simulation Hypothesis Went MainstreamQuantum Physics and the Idea of a Subjective RealityEastern Mysticism and the Western AfterlifeVirtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Simulated ConsciousnessSimulations, Computation, and ChaosThe Great SimulationOur Shared Video GameThe Simulation Hypothesis Uses Information to Explain the UnexplainableHow to Build the Matrix: The Computer ScienceStages 0 to 3: From Pong to MMORPGsThe Road to the Simulation PointThe Modern Stages of Video Game TechnologyStage 0: Text Adventures and the Game World (1970s to mid-1980s)Stage 1: Early Graphical Arcade and Console Games (1970s-1980s)Stage 2: Graphical Adventure / RPG Games (1980s-1990s)Stage 3: 3D Rendered MMORPGs and Virtual Worlds (1990s-Today)Where We Have Arrived on the RoadStages 4 to 8: From Virtual Reality to Mind InterfacesStage 4: Immersion Using Virtual RealityStage 5: Photorealistic Augmented and Mixed Reality (AR, MR)Stage 6: Real-World Rendering: Light-Field Display and 3D PrintingStage 7: Mind InterfacesStage 8: Implanted MemoriesStages 9 to 10: Artificial Intelligence and Downloadable ConsciousnessStage 9: Artificial Intelligence and NPCsThe History and Rise of AIReaching Stage 9From HAL to DataPortrayals of Artificial ConsciousnessThe Ethics of AI and Its UsesStage 10: Downloadable Consciousness and Digital ImmortalityAltered Carbon and Downloading ConsciousnessThe Upshot: Consciousness as InformationStage 11: The Simulation Point, Ancestor Simulations and BeyondStage 11: Reaching the Simulation PointWhat are Ancestor Simulations?Bostroms Simulation ArgumentThe Statistical Basis for Bostroms ArgumentAre We Simulated Characters in an Ancestor Simulation or Conscious Players in a Video Game?What is Consciousness?Digital Consciousness vs. Spiritual ConsciousnessDoes Simulation Explain Our World?How Simulation Explains Our World: The PhysicsConditional Rendering and the Collapse of the Probability WaveVideo Games and Quantum IndeterminacyThe Old PhysicsThe New Physics and the Wave/Particle DualityThe Crux of the Problem: The Particle-Wave DualityMoving from Quantum Indeterminacy to Video GamesConditional Rendering in Video GamesThe Simulation Hypothesis and Quantum IndeterminacyPhilosophical Questions Raised by QIParallel Universes, Future Selves, and Video GamesThe Delayed-Choice ExperimentMeasurement in the Future vs. the PastMultiple Possible Futures?Parallel Worlds and the MultiverseParallel Lives and Future Selves: The Great GameFringe and a Parallel WorldGame Theory, Simulations, and the Directed GraphCampbells Fundamental Process and Profitability FunctionParallel Worlds Must Be ComputedParallel Universes and the Simulation HypothesisPixels, Quanta, and the Structure of Space-TimeParticles and Pixels in the Screen3D Pixels and ParticlesZenos Paradox and a Discrete WorldThe Quanta in Quantum PhysicsQuanta of SpaceThe Speed of Light and Its Effect on TimeClock-Speed and Quantized Time in Computer SimulationsQuantized Space and Time Are InterrelatedCalculating Quantized Time and SpaceTraversing Space Time Instantly in a SimulationPixels, Quanta, Space-Time, Wormholes, and the Simulation HypothesisHow Simulation Explains the Unexplainable: The MysticsSpirits in an Illusory, Video GameLike Dream WorldThe World is an Illusion or a DreamThe Dreaming God and the Collective DreamThe Many Purposes of DreamingBuddhist Dream YogaDreams as Mini-SimulationsDownloadable Consciousness and the Secret Seventh YogaMultiple Lives & Karma as Quests in Video GamesMultiple Lives and the Doctrines of ReincarnationThe Purpose of Karma and ReincarnationHow Karma is Stored and Used to Create Situations in LifeA Theoretical Model for ReincarnationSome Features of Modern Video GamesThe Simulation Hypothesis: A Video Game Model Based on Karma?Quests and the Simulation HypothesisA Quest Engine for KarmaIs Buddhas Endless Wheel an Algorithm?Some Unexplained Areas: God, Angels, NDEs, and UFOsGod and the Creation of the Physical WorldGod and the AfterlifeAngelsAI: Gods and Angels and the Simulation HypothesisNear-Death ExperiencesUFOsThe Fermi ParadoxJung and SynchronicityOBEs, Remote Viewing, Telepathy and Other Unexplained PhenomenaPutting It All TogetherSkeptics and Believers: Evidence of ComputationThe Categories of Arguments/ExperimentsA Quick Note about Metaphysical Experiments and ConsciousnessThe Skeptics: The Resource ArgumentEvidence of Conditional RenderingExperiments for Evidence of PixelsEvidence of Computation: Error-Correcting CodesQuantum Computers, Error Codes, and Quantum EntanglementQuantum Entanglement and SimulationFractals and Evidence of Computation in NatureSimple Programs and A New Kind of ScienceConclusionThe Search for Evidence of ComputationThe Great Simulation and Its ImplicationsPlatos Allegory of the Cave and the Simulation HypothesisWhat Is the Great Simulation and Who Runs It?What Are the Main Elements of the Great Simulation?Conscious Beings or Unconscious SimulationsPCs vs. NPCsThe Big Picture: Computation Underlies the Other SciencesParting Thoughts: Bridging the Great DivideAcknowledgementsIndexAbout the AuthorNotes