how do people believe these things (spoilers of more than just the matrix)
SPOILERS BELOW (of more than just the matrix)!
After watching The Matrix for my fourth or fifth time, I decided that I wanted to research people who believe that the matrix is real. I didn't actually know that they existed, but knowing how humans work, the odds of believers existing were very good. A quick google search lead me to the idea of Simulated reality. This hypothesis is that the reality we experience could be simulated indistinguishably from the "true" reality. Similarly to in The Matrix, the subjects of this simulation would not be able to tell that they were taking part in it. As my exploration continued, I found many philosophers who attempted to lay out this hypothesis, and very few true believers. The experience, however, helped me remember a similar theory from my middle school years.
In 6th grade, we watched The Truman Show during our English class while studying frame narratives. The show is based around the concept of the main character being adopted as a child by a television company to create a show. The show follows the life of the adopted child as he grows. The catch is that he does not know that he is in a TV show. All of the people around him are directed on how to act, leaving him the only "true man". This show has a disorder named after it. The Truman Show delusion, also know as Truman Syndrome, is a type of delusion where the person believes that they are the subject of a TV show, or under constant surveillance by cameras. The term was coined after Joel Gold and Ian Gold met a person who was suffering from symptoms similar to the main character of the movie the Truman show. The shows writer, Andrew Niccol, when asked about having a mental disorder named after his movie said, "You know you've made it when you have a disease named after you."
Humans seem to believe anything that they are told if there is no way of disproving it. This is the foundation of our scientific method and has lead to the progression of humanity both socially and technologically. However, it leads to the development of these ideas that play on our fears. Capitalizing on these ideas, as was done in The Matrix and The Truman Show, makes their narratives more compelling because they really could be real.
After watching The Matrix for my fourth or fifth time, I decided that I wanted to research people who believe that the matrix is real. I didn't actually know that they existed, but knowing how humans work, the odds of believers existing were very good. A quick google search lead me to the idea of Simulated reality. This hypothesis is that the reality we experience could be simulated indistinguishably from the "true" reality. Similarly to in The Matrix, the subjects of this simulation would not be able to tell that they were taking part in it. As my exploration continued, I found many philosophers who attempted to lay out this hypothesis, and very few true believers. The experience, however, helped me remember a similar theory from my middle school years.
In 6th grade, we watched The Truman Show during our English class while studying frame narratives. The show is based around the concept of the main character being adopted as a child by a television company to create a show. The show follows the life of the adopted child as he grows. The catch is that he does not know that he is in a TV show. All of the people around him are directed on how to act, leaving him the only "true man". This show has a disorder named after it. The Truman Show delusion, also know as Truman Syndrome, is a type of delusion where the person believes that they are the subject of a TV show, or under constant surveillance by cameras. The term was coined after Joel Gold and Ian Gold met a person who was suffering from symptoms similar to the main character of the movie the Truman show. The shows writer, Andrew Niccol, when asked about having a mental disorder named after his movie said, "You know you've made it when you have a disease named after you."
Humans seem to believe anything that they are told if there is no way of disproving it. This is the foundation of our scientific method and has lead to the progression of humanity both socially and technologically. However, it leads to the development of these ideas that play on our fears. Capitalizing on these ideas, as was done in The Matrix and The Truman Show, makes their narratives more compelling because they really could be real.
With respect to Simulation Theory / The Matrix, I don't think that it's that farfetched to believe that we're in a simulation - after all, statistics would seem to favor the probability that we're living in a simulation as opposed to the "true" reality. If technology can advance (or has already advanced) to the point where simulated universes are able to be feasibly created, there could be an infinite number of simulated realities, with only one "baseline" reality. Furthermore, we are limited by the knowledge of the reality that we live in, and if it is not the "true" reality, we can't say anything about the actual "true" reality with certainty; theoretically anything could be true. I may not be the biggest believer in Simulation Theory (and I don't think I'd even care that much if we lived in a simulation), but from what I know, it does have some legitimate arguments.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic. I guess it is possible that we are living in our own Matrix, because we wouldn’t really know otherwise. Is it possible that the few believers of this have really seen the true world? I don’t really believe we are in a simulation but I don’t think I would care. If we are in a simulation, my life still feels real and I’m having a good time anyway.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I wouldn't mind being in a simulation as there seem to be no real drawbacks of living in one, but it's interesting to hypothesize the implications of creating a simulated reality of our own like in "The Matrix". Ethics aside, the advantages of creating a simulated reality are immense. It would be at this point in human history that as a species we are capable of reaching true technological singularity and the end of progress is achieved. Every technology developed after this era would be derived from the simulation, resulting in societal growth never seen before. I can see the logic behind people who believe in simulated realities, but not behind their goal after proving so because as of now we don't possess the technology or the understanding to do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting topic. I don't think it would matter to us one way or the other if we were in fact living in our Matrix because we would be taking everything as the truth, but I think it's interesting how living in a simulation has both the positive effects of progressing society but also the negative aspect of playing on our emotions. If everyone did live in a Matrix, though, it would simply seem like a new reality because no one can for sure say otherwise.
ReplyDeleteSeveral notable people, including Elon Musk, have shown their favor of the simulation theory, and while I think the logic behind their thinking is sound, I don't really see the point in discussing it much. If it is a simulation, does that really change anything? We probably won't find out anytime soon, so it's really just a guessing game.
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