What is reality?

[spongrick]

Reality is what you yourself perceive. Your reality ends with your life. Others continue until they die.

[Firelily]

Originally Posted by loote

Like the Simulation Argument. Not a dream but a computer simulation. The Simulation Argument argues (hehe) that at least one of the following is true:

1 The human species will become extinct before we reach a stage where we can run highly advanced computer simulations.

2 Any descendant race of humans in possession of this kind of technology would not run programs based on its evolutionary history.

3 We are in a computer simulation.


Obviously we are nowhere near the level of technology required to build such a simulation, but that's not to say it isn't possible. It has been predicted that in a few decades technological advances will allow for self-aware AI and this is a stepping stone towards such a simulation. It may take a hundred thousand years for simulations on a planetary scale but that leaves much room for new discoveries and a Theory of Everything that will allow us to be more efficient in how we use our resources.

If we had the tech, the question is would we use it? I would think it safe to assume that yes we would. I'm pretty sure we would have little or no concerns about the ethical implications of creating worlds full of self-aware organisms in order to plot an evolutionary cycle.

If the technology was available and we'd use it, is there a chance we're in such a simulation now? If some older ancient civilisations produced such simulations and in turn each simulation created it's own simulation or more than one simulation, the odds of us living in such a program increases, no? Of course it depends on how interested these advanced civilisations would be in conducting these exercises.

Wow that's a scary thought.
So we could be little more than characters in The Sims?

[catperson55]

Gintamaaaaa

[Crom_The_Pale]

The line for reality and unreality is generally drawn between what has physical substance and that which doesn't. However, in truth very few things have no physical substance. This includes thoughts as our thoughts are, in reality, just electro-chemical reactions within our brain.

Therefore the true question is;

What exists but is not part of Reality?

[Nya]

In my opinion reality is what makes your senses react e.g colour, taste, texture. And I am aware your senses react to dreams sometimes, i think that a dream is a form of reality made by your mind as a test like a you can test a computers performance.