If the truth of the reality is that we live in a simulation, then it is apparent that we would not care about others. We would live more for the present day, we would make our world look likely to become rich and famous, we would start participating in pivotal events, and we would be more entertaining. And we would try to keep such people around us who are recognized and interested in us.
Through the movies based on virtual reality and even storytelling, we make people feel similar as they are watching the same events and places as they imagine. Role-playing is also getting better, such as creating an environment where many people can observe how they are different and pretend in another place and time. It is possible that such role-playing would be so perfect that people would not feel they are watching something unreal; they will assume it to be real.
This makes us remember some exciting movies such as 13th Floor, Truman Show, Dark City, and the most famous movie based on virtual reality is “The Matrix.” What would happen if future humans would create such a perfect role-playing simulation in which people would never know that they are only a part of some simulation. This thought can go even deeper, how if our posthumans have already created an utterly identical simulation to reality. If this possibility is real, then how sure can we be for the reality of our existence that we are not in some role-playing simulation right now?
We can have an example of such a scenario explained by the television show Star Trek Generation. There was a fictional device called Holodeck that offers an entirely computer-generated environment. This computer-generated environment allows people to role-play not only with each other but also with experienced computer-generated people. There is only a pale shadow in the computer-generated people of real humans in the present day. If we keep making better simulations rapidly, it is highly likely that someday a simulated human would be indistinguishable from a real human. A simulated being in Holodeck might not be aware that they are simulated. A serious question arises: how can we be sure that we are not a sophisticated unreal being of a future Holodeck?
There is no doubt that we can be so confident that we are not in a simulation. The more possible our descendants are to be rich, advanced, and interested in creating simulations, the more likely simulated people like us would exist. As much we would expect our descendants would be developed, the possibility would be high that we are in a simulation.
If we are the same as the characters of those movies who have discovered some specific evidence that tells us we are not living in a real-world, we would surely take those clues seriously to see what they say about our lives. However, many observers have assumed that there are no indications that we are in a simulation in the absence of strong evidence.
It is not quite right. We should make our decisions based on the average possibility of worlds that we may live in. Suppose there is any non-zero probability that our descendants will run an advanced simulation that will include people like us. In that case, there must be a non-zero possibility that we are living in a simulation. We care about the result of our actions because it is different in a simulated world, and a non-zero probability of simulation might impact our decisions. As much as the possibility would be more significant for being in a simulation, it will influence our choices.
We should think in more detail about how our decisions should be impacted by recognizing that we might exist in a simulation. If we consider that we are in a simulation, several factors might get changed. We would wish to live a longer life and start avoiding pain, we would want this to be true for other people, and we would like to influence others. The mixture of simulation types and reasons will be different from today’s composition. And it will be such a difference that we can not even think. However, this addresses at least a rough idea to action.
There are several possible reasons that our descendants may run historical simulations. The first one could be to know what exactly happened in the past and how circumstances had changed. Another possibility could be that posthuman would decide to run simulations only for their entertainment.
If every simulation, including unspecified future and human history, is a faithful reproduction, then the only decision would be for those who care about leaving an impact on real history or care about what the real people are considering. People who care about such things should understand that it is not as easy as it looks. There can only be a way to influence the real world is to find a way to control someone who is observing this simulation or running this simulation.
It could be more costly if anyone creates a simulation in complete detail. This is why today most of the computer simulation differs in information at which they simulate numerous events. We can have an example to understand this as a vibrating airplane wing is generally simulated in excellent detail at places where it curves more or where air currents around it differ more. Usually, the quality and level are appropriate for any position depending on how much it could be expensive to create in such detail. And how robust errors would be to make errors in the outcome of the interest. As it is hard to differentiate the people in role-playing simulations from real people, these people have some limitations in the time and space at which the simulation ends.
The probability of living in a bounded simulation with different details provides many suggestions on how we should live this life. We can show this with an example of a party’s simulation at the millennium turn created to allow a specific future guest to participate. Such a computer simulation might be planned only for a night. Also, it might be possible that few people from another building can also experience that party. If the guest came from the future and decided to leave the party and walk around the city, then there is a possibility that people at the party might be deleted. Or another chance could be these people would be replaced by another simulated being to populate the street where the future guest has decided to walk.
If you were aware that you were not a real person at the party and desired to live as long as possible, you might motivate anyone to leave. If simulation may end up early, then it can mean that the future guest would have become bored; it is also possible to make sure everyone at the party had a good time. Your dedication to helping poor people in Ethiopia might likely end after realizing that there is no Ethiopia actually; what you see is also a simulation.
You certainly know nothing about whether you are in a party simulation to benefit that guy with red hair. However, the average suggestion of other possible simulations pushes your choice in the same direction where you can decide that is implicated from the probability of living in a simulation.
If you are not living in a simulation, then there is a higher chance for the world to end soon. After all, you should not care much about your future or even humanity and focus on living more for the day you have been given that is ‘today.’ This would even be right if you are positively not confident how long this simulation would exist.
Additionally, many people’s behavior would be far from the simulated people and possibly created randomly based on statistics from last simulations or “cashed” records of the previous simulated being. Similar to the side artists being used in a crowded scene in a movie. If you assume not to care for any simulated being, it might lead you to not care about your actions that influence the world.
Suppose enough people would be aware of the reality that they are in a simulation, and the simulation would tend to cease. In that case, if you have a wish to live longer, it is highly possible that you would stop other people from knowing that they are living in a simulation. Presuming that our posthuman’s real history included many people who said they were in a Simulation Creationism, it should not be a problem if the same number of people in a simulation say this. If very few people said this, then it might be a problem.
If there is a possibility that our descendants would simulate a world, then it would be more similar to the world of their history. Hence, if you wish your world to continue, then you would like to look more like what was recorded in their history. As their history by the time was rich and powerful descendants. All you would want the world you are living in would look the same.
Suppose our posthuman is more interested in creating a simulation of central people and events from their history. In that case, you should estimate the possibility that the people and events around you will be contemplated central to your descendants. If you try to uplift this to be accurate, doing this might make the simulator drop the simulation’s idea. If you can observe and identify the exciting incidents around you, then the simulation may end early after the event ends.
If there are any chances for our descendants, favor their simulations to be delightful, everything will be equal; you should wish for things around you to be enjoyable. Then the world would seem similar to the stage, and people would be simply players. What is assumed to be entertaining is quite different from reality across time and cultures. And the taste of our descendants will possibly differ from ours. Hence, someone should focus on sharing features of pleasurable stories. Be outrageous, violent, sexy, pathetic, heroic in a world. Being a martyr may be a proud feeling for you. If doing this can make your story so influenced, then there are chances that other descendants would also wish to simulate you.
If the case is quite different such as our descendants sometimes play a role in their simulation, if they possibly play a simulation of more famous people, and at an instance, they feel bored, it may lead them to turn off or end the simulation. You should be more careful and try to keep famous people happy around you if you do not want our descendants to complete the simulation. Another possibility is that if they’re going to keep those people in simulation happy or exciting, you should try to stay attractive to those famous people around you.
We can discuss another situation if our descendants wish to play a righteous God in their simulation and have decided to punish or reward inhabitants as per their deeds and how they have lived their lives. Maybe you would do good that they will think about such a praiseworthy life. Without any second opinion, you will try to sort out the standard features of righteousness in descendants preparing to play a role as God.
In short, if it is right that your descendants might create simulations of lives similar to yours, then it is possible that you are not living in a base reality but a Simulation Creationism. As you probably can not learn in-depth about the simulation where you live, you can draw a rough sketch and analogize to the types and causes of simulation today. Suppose you are confident that you are living in a simulation. In that case, everything will be equal as whatever you observe, or experience is part of the simulation, then you should be careless about others and live more for the present day. It would be best to make your world more entertaining, rich, praiseworthy and keep famous people around you who make you feel happy and interested.
