CAJ: Simulation Theory - 8.) Limitations on research - my point of view

For this blog post I decided to pick up a question of Hendrik's spreadsheet because I think it is interesting to think about it. And I finally want to add some of my personal thoughts on this topic. So here I go...

Every area of research has societal factors which limit its progress. How are outside influences impacting research in the field of science you are looking at for your CAJ? Think of as many examples as you can.

Possible limitation 1: A simulation used for entertainment

People might wonder if a simulation would have a scientific, social or clinical value. If somebody creates a computer simulation which conscious human beings living in it, people might wonder why somebody would do that. Is the simulation of any use? Can there be drawn any value out of a computer simulation? It could be argued that these computer simulations of universes are just some sort of entertainment which is seen in the eyes of most people as useless. The issue that evolves out of a simulation just for fun is that you generate humans and then probably let them suffer. If a reality like ours is created then there will be natural disasters or other forms of pain, for example crime, domestic violence etc.
The way things are at the moment, this sort of entertainment will not be tolerated by the majority of people. It is seen as morally reprehensible to take pleasure in seeing other people suffer or even harm other people on purpose. It does not matter if these people might be “real” in the way we understand “real” at the moment. Within this simulation these generated beings would also be real as for them this simulated universe is their life. In conclusion, I would say that simulations used only for entertainment will be prohibited by law as they violate fundamental values of a modern democratic society.

Possible limitation 2: The reputation of the Simulation Theory

The Simulation Theory is a highly controversial topic. On the one side, there are a lot of physicists and philosophers in favor of this theory and dedicate a lot of their research to find out whether we might really be living in a computer simulation or not. On the other side, many scientists raise their voices against this theory and argue that the Simulation Theory is not science but science fiction. They say that it is like a fairy tale, farfetched and has nothing to do with the search for science. It seems like if a scientist cannot explain a phenomenon, he/she invents something completely ridiculous and tries to prove it. In a way, scientists spending time on proving that our universe might be a computer simulation can be regarded as crazy by their colleagues. It is seen as a way of passing their time when they get stuck on other problems of their research. Their work is not taken seriously by other scientists which might hinder many to actually start working in this field.

Possible limitation 3: Lack of imagination

The major problem of my CAJ is that hardly anybody knows of it. Admittedly, I myself have not heard of it before my teacher told me about it. The same is true for 90% of my peers. I would say that approximately 75% of the population has never heard of this field of research before. It is just an estimation but I personally think it is a fairly accurate one.

Why is it that nobody has heard of this theory before?

Believing that our universe might be a computer simulation is tough not for the majority of people. Why? Simply because this thought seems ridiculous. We grow up learning about the Big Bang as beginning of all life. Some of us practise a religion which tells them about the origin of life. Seeing a computer at the basis of our universe just goes against the common sense. The idea seems so farfetched that people cannot believe in it. Or, which might be the real problem, they do not want to. Our society lacks the ability to get embarked on an adventure. I call it adventure because it actually is exciting to see something from a different perspective. Or even to allow yourself to break with the common rules and just go against the tide. However, such an attitude is considered strange and sometimes even ignorant or antisocial.

Personally, I think this is very sad as life seems to be much more interesting if we allow ourselves to let all of our self-imposed norms and rules behind and just go for something completely new.

Possible limitation 4: Fear

Hand in hand with limitation number three comes limitation number four which I decided to call fear. Fear is an obstacle to growth in every possible way you can think of. Fear might protect you from a lot of things but is also harms you from becoming more open-minded.

When talking about the idea that our reality might not be real, a high number of people freaks out. If my life is not real then it does not have any sense but life has to have a sense. I have to have a purpose. Well, no you do not! People are afraid of new situations because they do not want to leave their comfort zone. At this point I would like to quote Paulo Coelho who once wrote that you have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen. The miracle of life and the unexpected. I like his way of thinking and even if he did not write about a universe which might be a computer simulation, it seems quite appropriate here. If life is a miracle then anything can happen also the completely unexpected. People tend to forget this. So if our universe is a computer simulation, this is pretty unexpected and a miracle. Humans fear that this theory might come true because they think that they would not be able to deal with it. And this limits research enormously. If no one wants to know or care, no one will fund research and great ideas have no chance to develop.