Future computations to find out: do we live in a universal simulation?
Philosophers and Universal Thinkers remain burdened with many questions around life and its existence as a whole. They question nature, material, and technological influence everywhere. Similarly, a bottomless question has been discussed for a long time worldwide: “Do we live in a universal simulation?” Many minds have been captivated and tried to interrogate the problem with philosophical and scientific dialogue and rationale. Multiple movies, such as ‘Inception’ and ‘The Matrix,’ have been imposing and shooting related ideas. Here we will examine the concept in a more critical and open-minded mechanism while cutting it down to straightforward computing solutions within controlled environments, widely known and practiced by all, in the postmodern world of “Computers.”
Recently just had a conversation with a friend, Dr. Rafeel Riaz, a “Computational Astrophysicist,” who is currently working as a Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Concepcion in Chile. The puzzling and intriguing phenomenon is that while doing calculations as a daily routine of his job, he started relating this thing about the Universe, that the “Acceleration of the Universe” is just a program, a routine task that increases the size of our Universe for every passing second, and then we have today’s algorithm giving us the “Hubble’s Constant” which is one of the first known evidentiary building blocks of the Universe on such an omnipresent scale, about which we can understand more that if there is a calculable simulation we live in or not? Moreover, many oceans of explorations are waiting to be examined and worth getting lost.
The idea put forward here is that as programmers write millions of lines of codes for huge scientific ventures, likewise, a code or ubiquitous algorithm has been written for the Universe to function and expand; the “Dark energy” is yet, one of the subroutines functions of this massive game. Only time-dependent computing does not help us understand this massive question of “Universal Simulation” right now. More interestingly, the idea is that what hardware is upholding or supporting such a large code? Here we have silicon chips supporting all the coding; what is running the whole Universe; the matter, dark energy, the dark matter, and other unknown forces or principles? Everything, which includes the 13.7 Billion years evolution itself? What are the languages ordering the “Supreme Order” itself?
Nowadays, when scientists are researching in Astronomy or Space, we have a kind hurdle of having vast sets of data computations that can take months and sometimes years for accurate answers or model formations, such as whenever we are modeling stuff that is the size of our galaxy, “The Milky Way” and even much more extensive such as on universal scales, conventional computers take too much time.
Furthermore, the “Moore’s Law” for computational capability is dying right now, “Moore’s Law states that the computational capability increases after every few years, the size and cost decreases concerning that, But, packing the same number of transistors on a silicon chip will stop one day.” That compels us to look for other ways; there seems to be one hope, a solution which is far yet to be reached, under improvement worldwide can give us some idea of all the sacred questions including the existence or possibility of a “Universal Simulation” perhaps.
Fortunately, physicists are working hard to give us “Quantum Computers,” not available publicly now, “The Quantum Computer is a kind of computer that performs certain kinds of tasks 100 millions times faster than a classical computer, as compared to what we have in the lab today” according to Google. With this advancement in technology, the immense power of computations, and the higher ability as a ‘Time Saving’ variable, it will stand us out in pursuing the problem of simulation more efficiently and powerfully.
In that way, we will find out more problems quickly, eventually doing universal scale problems in hours or days; we can test or make models and assumptions based on questions such as if there is a universal code? Eventually becoming the thirst of readership or all the ideas mentioned above are just going to be thrown in the bin of hypothesis, merely with the bias of seeking “beauty” in theory, and we are again the victim falling for this “Hypothetical Sin,” happening all the time in science.
Also Read: Exploring Drake’s Equation: The Possibility of Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Fouz Siddiqui is an Academic Writer and Aviation Maintenance Engineering Tech professional. He studies Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Karachi. He is also avidly interested in Science Communication and Popularization practices for the general public. He is wholehearted to read and write about Physics, Astronomy, Aviation, Philosophy of Science, Environment, and similar substantial questions of life.