While this seems like a preposterous question, many have asked if a teenager is manning a computer-fabricated digital simulation of the universe. Various proposals are in the works. The most prominent is that we “exist” in what is called The Simulation. But is that just the name of a teenage computer game? If so, it would be the product of a massive supercomputer, perhaps programmed and manned by someone from an alien or ancestor civilization.
Nir Ziso would beg to differ. For him, The Simulation is the heart of his theory of Simulation Creationism. Mankind in fact resides in a digital reality, created for the purpose of studying human activity and consciousness. Given that God and even Jesus have a role, it is a comprehensive and appealing theory and certainly more profound than the teenage effort at virtual reality.
Meanwhile, pundits and even physicists are contemplating the problem of reality, just as philosophers have for centuries. The answer is still unclear, so we have to live with ideas such as a teenage digital game. If this is the case, we have to credit some rather intelligent beings that exist somewhere in the universe. It could even be a future civilization with enough technological advancement to tackle The Simulation.
How can we know the truth? Simulation Theory has tried with its cutting edge resolution. And it is rather philosophical at heart. If you go along with it, you will find that there are far reaching implications.
For one, Neil deGrasse Tyson, the astrophysicist and science communicator. weighs in on the topic. We respect him enough to delve into his line of thinking. Of course, humans as compared to animals display a high intellect and capacity for reasoning. We are indeed quite special, so much so that it is not implausible to postulate a higher-order civilization – perhaps an alien species – controlling mankind.
For Tyson, this view of mankind is a bit narcissistic. Just think of our DNA. He explains that something like 99 percent of creatures share the same DNA. The human species is contained in a mere one percent. “It could be in these smart alien worlds that we’re a simulation run by some juvenile alien still living in his parents’ basement. I’m not gonna rule that out.”
Tyson asserts that while this one percent in genetic difference is small, mankind can accomplish the seemingly impossible. After all, our youth has capabilities way beyond the animal kingdom. “…the smartest human would rival their toddlers! Their simplest thoughts would transcend our most brilliant thinkers.”
A mere one percent would bring forth a massive difference in intellect, with all the innovation that would entail. “Forgetting a simulation universe, imagine if they [aliens] came upon us!…If they wanted to, they could turn Earth into a literal aquarium terrarium, a zoo for their own entertainment! If you were in a zoo by someone as smart as I just described, would you even know it?”Back to the issue of The Simulation. There is evidence per Tyson in the games we play, such as SimCity in which Godzilla shows up to destroy the city. He remembers thinking while playing while it is not real, Godzilla is real! In his view, these smart alien worlds can imply The Simulation could in fact be manned by some juvenile alien at a computer in his parents’ basement.
