CAJ: Simulation Theory - Discussion on my CAJ with a friend

Yesterday evening I spent some time talking with my good friend Jasmine about my CAJ “The Simulation Theory”. She had never heard of it so I started to explain her the basic idea. I didn’t have to go on for very long about it. She immediately got the idea and drew the comparison to the movie “Matrix”.

The first thing that came to her mind was the idea of not being responsible for what she was doing. She told me that she didn’t believe in God per se. She believed in a higher power but that could also be a programmer of the future. Then she said something really interesting. She actually liked the idea that there might be a programmer who programmed us and our lives. I found that quite surprising as we talked about this in one of Henry’s classes and the majority of students were afraid of that thought. So I asked her about what precisely she was so happy about if there were to be a programmer. The funny thing is that she admitted that she would feel kind of relieved if there would be somebody out there who had programmed her life. She said that she wouldn’t have to worry about all of her decisions because the programmer would be responsible for taking them. She basically meant that she could pass on all of her responsibilities towards her life to the programmer. In a way, that seemed like a really big relief to her.

The first point of discussion brought us to a next thought on which we couldn’t really decide. We were wondering if the programmer would program really all aspects of our life. Like, if he would decide about anything that happened to us or if he would only provide a frame. We talked quite a while about the idea that maybe he would give all conscious beings in his simulation a general direction of their lives, exactly as we did in “The Sims”. We argued that he might have decided that some individuals should follow a career as mathematicians and others as professional singers. I think this idea was particularly interesting as it implied that our abilities might come from this decision. If let’s say person X was programmed to become a mathematician – doesn’t matter whether he became a teacher in a high school, university professor or scientist – the programmer might have included all the necessary abilities to become one in him. So, this would explain why some people are better in doing one thing than others. In a way, biology wouldn’t be the solution for different abilities within human beings.

Next, we started a discussion about why one should create a whole universe. In general, we found two solutions:

1.    1. the person might just be bored and to him, we are like a big reality show and he is watching what we are doing just for fun.

2.   2.  he might want to let the simulation solve problems which the programmer or his universe is actually suffering from or he might want to see how another universe might have dealt with a particular problem.

Jasmine wasn’t too in favor of the second option so she went more or less with the first one. She argued that the programmer might just be bored and we would be like a big reality show to him. Whenever he felt like watching TV, he would switch on his computer and look what’s happening in his small simulated universe. I believe that this scenario could be absolutely true. That’s exactly what humans do. Instead of living their own lives, they follow the lives of others. We concluded that boredom would be a pretty good reason to create a simulated reality.

Whereas I didn’t have big problems with the second argument, Jasmin really had. She just couldn’t see the point in letting others solve your own problems. She said that going through a rough patch was what makes you stronger. So for her, simulating a universe just to see how these people would solve problems of another universe was just ridiculous. I tried to challenge her by saying that the programmer might have created a simulation where 10 years equal 1 day in the programmer’s life. So he would program the simulation a couple of days before a decision had to be made in his universe, for example war or no war. And he would have created two simulations, one would go for the war and the other one wouldn’t. In one day he could see how these two decisions might develop within ten years. I asked her if that wouldn’t be a promising way to make a great decision. Well, she didn’t think so. She said that it would always depend on the people using these simulations and what they wanted to achieve. I think she clearly has a point there. If these simulations would be used by careless and corrupt politicians (just an example but I think quite an accurate one), they wouldn’t help nobody. They would go for the option which would bring the most profit and not the one which might save a country or maybe the world.

All in all, I think we had a really nice discussion about the Simulation Theory and I liked the way we brought it to an end. Jasmine smiled and said that she never even has thought about the chance that we might not be real. However, she wouldn’t mind and with a laugh she grabbed her glass of wine and said: “Well, my programmer wants me to drink another glass of wine and have fun tonight!” I believe that sometimes it might actually be kind of nice to think that somebody else decided what we should do. If it helps to get my mind of studying and to stop being stressed for just one hour, then I totally go for the idea of a simulated universe.

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.

How to go back in time and kill Adolf Hitler

Materials you need:

• a time machine
• a gun
• a cartridge (you just need one because you only have one chance)
• a uniform of a SS soldier

Before you start, make sure that you can answer the following questions with a YES:

• Are you sure you want to kill Adolf Hitler?
• Can you kill a person without hesitation?
• Can you run very fast?
• Do you know what Adolf Hitler looks like? (In case you do not here is a picture)

Step 1: Take the uniform of the SS soldier and get dressed.

Step 2: Open the time machine and step into it.

Step 3: Type the appropriate time (30.1.1939) and location (Berlin Brandenburg gate) into the control panel.

Step 4: On the left hand side of the control panel is a black lever. Pull the lever down.

Hint: Pull strongly as the lever tends to get stuck at some point.

Step 5: Wait for a couple of minutes.

Hint: Do not freak out if the time machine starts shaking. That is perfectly fine.

Now you should be in Berlin in the year 1939.

Step 6: Take a deep breath and stay calm.

Step 7: Load the gun.

Step 8: Get out of the time machine and get familiar with your surroundings.

Step 9: Now you have got 2 options. If you want to be as inconspicuous as possible, place yourself in the crowd. Warning: Only consider this option if you are a really good shooter!

If you want to make sure that nothing goes wrong, step onto the stage and place yourself next to Hitler.

From now on: be quick!

Step 10: Wherever you are, place your gun at Hitler’s face and shoot.

Step 11: RUN back to the time machine!

Step 12: Get in the time machine and change time and location to present.

Step 13: See step 4 and 5.

Step 14: Get out of the time machine.

Done! By now Hitler should be dead and you have “successfully” changed the course of our human’s history.

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narrative journalism: Unfounded execution of children in Honduras

Unfounded execution of children in Honduras

Her glassy eyes are swollen and red because of all the long hours this woman has been crying and even now, while talking to the team of international journalists, she cannot stop. She is breathing heavily, close to losing consciousness and fainting away. What this woman had been through yesterday seems inhumane and inconceivable for a democratic western society. Her seven year old son had been executed right in front of her eyes. “What’s happening in our country in the last couple of months is a social purge!”, screams the infuriated woman. Then her voice gets silent and she sinks to the floor with her husband tenderly embracing her. You can see it in his eyes which are filled with so much hatred that if he had a loaded gun he would shoot the person responsible for his unbearable pain - Juan Orlando Hernández, the president of Honduras.

Unfortunately, this couple is not the only one affected. From January till the end of February more than 80 children to the age of 23 had been executed under the responsibility of the newly elected Honduran president Mr. Hernández, states the children rights organization “Casa Alianza”.  However, this atrocity is not new in the history of the country. In 2005, already, Amnesty International published a shocking number of child deaths under mysterious circumstances. 

 ...

PSA: After-Death Avatar

Woman: I’m trying. Believe me. I’m trying hard to … forget him.

Man: You shouldn’t try to forget him. You should try to keep his memory and move on. He’s gone but you’re still alive.

Woman: (hesitating) Well, there is this thing called “After-Death Avatar”. I could actually talk to him, even speak to him, and maybe also hug him again.

Losing a loved person is probably the most devastating pain you will ever go through in your whole life. New technologies are trying to derive benefit from your loss. Creating an “after-death avatar” does not bring anybody back to life. The only thing it does is letting you embrace the idea of beating death. Which you actually cannot. An “after-death avatar” keeps you suffering even more. You will realize a hundred times that this avatar is not the real person you want to talk to. It is just an avatar. You will be in pain each time you become aware of this fact. You will suffer and be stuck in solitude. You will go crazy. You won’t be able to survive so much pain.

 

Remember: You are still alive! Do not kill yourself with creating an “after-death avatar” of somebody who is far gone.

Development of my Academic Paper

The work on my academic paper is going on well. I have an idea about what I am going to write and what I want to include in my paper. I have collected all the necessary sources to write the paper. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the time to actually start writing a draft but I am going to do so in the upcoming Christmas holiday and by the end of the two weeks I want to have finished it. I had some problems writing a rough draft of the introduction because I don’t know exactly what will be important to mention. I prefer writing the introduction at the end so that it fits to the rest of the paper. In general, my next step will be to read through all of my sources again and write a detailed outline of the content to have a structure to hold on to. 

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