It
is the year 2039, behind the mountain chain surrounding the city in the east,
the sun slowly arises. It wraps the city in a friendly yellow and promises a
beautiful, cloudless Monday morning. The big glass door of the Miller’s bedroom
leading on the balcony provides a stunning few of the sunrise. Dan would never
miss it. He has set his “alarm earplug” at 5 a.m. so that he can watch the
breathtaking awaking of the city every day. With a gentle kiss on her forehead,
he wakes his gorgeous wife Anny. When he sees her smile, he can stand up and
walks into the kitchen where HR5 is busily preparing the breakfast. The
development of robotics has been considerably progressing for the last ten
years. Nowadays a household without its Household Robot would not be
conceivable. Still, the biggest change in the last 25 years was clearly the
proof of the Simulation Theory.
Five
years ago, in 2034, a team of the most rewarded scientists from all over the
world (Japan, Switzerland, USA, etc.) finally succeeded in revealing the most
shocking fact of human life: reality is nothing more than a computer
simulation. Physicists who have always been trying to solve the mystery of our
universe were deeply distressed at this major breakthrough. In a way it implied
that they had to work through all of their developed theories again, above all
the M-Theory. At the moment, these physicists are trying very hard to find reconciliation
between the Simulation Theory and the M-Theory.
Besides
physics, also other parts of human life have been concerned by the new
findings. Simulation Theory shows that there must be some highly advanced
programmer of the future who has devised our world in form of a computer
simulation. Therefore world religions have been suffering ever since this
discovery. Dan Miller was always a strict believer. His worldview changed
immediately. Creationism cannot be true as within a computer simulation there can
be no God. A lot of religious people started questioning the existence of God.
The church suffered a setback that finally led to the abolition of the pope.
Also all other religions believing in some form of God are now considered to be
completely ridiculous. Still, there exist fanatic groups of all kinds of
religions trying to fight the Simulation Theory. In 2038, a cooperation of the
most radical ones even succeeded in killing Nick Bostrom who was one of the
champions in the simulation field from a philosophical viewpoint.
Along
with the knowledge of the fact that our world is a computer simulation which
has been achieved by creating own simulations and through the laws of
mathematics, the whole western school systems changed. When children nowadays
reach school age they do not only learn the basics of the alphabet and
mathematics, they also follow obligatory simulation classes where they are
being taught how to create their own simulation of a world. The major thought
behind this concept is to make it possible that all children, when they finally
leave school at the age of 18, are capable of creating a small simulation. Of
course not everyone will be successful but computer simulations are one of the
most important fields of the future. All governments agreed that they have to
spark interest of the children to make sure that some of them will dedicate
their lives to this subject. Dan’s children are completely fascinated by
simulations and a couple of days ago his daughter, nine years old, announced
that she wants to become a simulation scientist when she grows up.
That
is what life is like in 2039 with the knowledge that our reality is in fact not
real at all. Has something changed for Dan? He still is leading a normal life,
going to work every day and loves his family more than anything else.
Nevertheless, he does know that technology develops and that Simulation Theory
has not yet fully developed its power. Things will eventually change more. He
is sure of that. It will take decades but science is unstoppable. In a way this
thought delights him. Just because his life is simulated does not mean that it
is not a life worth living.
[703
words]
