• Zoolander@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    There’s no hypocrisy here.

    On one hand, the belief in a god doesn’t just end there. There are beliefs in what that god does and what he has control over. So it’s completely logical to believe that there’s no god (although, as someone else pointed out, it’s also not random arrangements of atoms).

    On the other hand, simulation theory is a logical theory to rationalize the “purpose” of why we exist. It’s not a belief. The simulation doesn’t respond to prayers or requests. It’s simply conjecture or hypothesis to explain the “why” of the universe. No one who talks about simulation theory (much less who “believes” in it) pretends that the creator of the simulation is uniquely interested in them and responds to their requests and tells them how to live their life. In fact, that would go against the entire concept of simulation theory.

    Religion and religious belief have specific definitions. This feels just as dishonest as people claiming that LGBTQ ideology is a religion or that evolution is a “belief”.

    • killeronthecorner@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Of course it’s a belief. Any position held as fact in the absence of evidence is a belief, and is irrational by definition.

      It also absolutely does not provide an explanation of “purpose”. Someone else already wrote a good comment about why that is.

      • Zoolander@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Your comment added nothing to the discussion and provided no counters to what was said. What was the point of writing it?

        It’s not a belief because there’s not an absence of evidence. There’s quite a bit of evidence for it. Whether you agree that it’s compelling is another story. Also, no one “believes” in simulation theory. It’s simply a theory to explain our current understanding of the world. In the same way that no one “believes” in the theory of gravity. It’s just a possible explanation of what we observe.

        • killeronthecorner@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Except it isn’t a theory then is it? It’s a hypothesis.

          And belief in a hypothesis that has not reached the quality of scientific theory, is just that: belief.

          And it’s grossly dishonest of you to argue otherwise, so take your wordplay and nonsense somewhere else.

          • Zoolander@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            No. That’s why it’s not called “simulation hypothesis”. It’s called “simulation theory”. The hypothesis is the original, untested idea. The theory is the idea after it has been tested that fits as a valid explanation. It has been tested.

            To be fair, though, the actual idea is called “simulation hypothesis” in the real world for that reason but it’s not a hypothesis because it can’t come to a falsifiable conclusion. There’s literally no way of knowing whether we are or aren’t in a simulation.

            It’s the same idea as a god that controls everything but doesn’t intervene at all, is invisible, and unknowable. It could be true but it’s a moot point since we could never know.

            I’m not being dishonest. You are, however, being dismissive and rude.

            • killeronthecorner@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              If you find dismissal of your inability to coherently explain the concept you brought up rude, that’s your prerogative.

              You’ve said enough to demonstrate you don’t understand basic empiricism, have not done sufficient reading on the topic that - again - you brought up, and have contradicted yourself in your own comment.

              You are dishonest, and we’re pretty much done here.

              • Zoolander@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                I’m not dishonest and I haven’t said anything that suggests I’m not arguing in good faith. I’ve sufficiently explained the concept and the idea that our observations can only extend to what we’re capable of. I also don’t see where I’ve contradicted myself but I’m sure you’ll point that out instead of being nebulous and ignoring the points actually demonstrated…

      • Zoolander@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The purpose is to observe our behavior and how we react to stimuli. And it’s not that it’s “correct”, it’s just that it requires no intervention. If it’s “real”, then it was started by an outside force and is being observed like a Petri dish amongst other simulations.

        • cheese_greater@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Do “they” ever intervene or do you think its strictly regulated, like double-blind or whatever?

          Like do you think they actually do or can pick favorites (protagonists/main characters) or is it way more sterile?

          • Zoolander@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            If it’s truly meant as a simulation, then intervening in any way would go against the purpose of the simulation.

            Just think about how we run our simulations. We give the computer parameters about the “real” world because we’re interested in the results. If our entire world is a simulation, amongst other simulations, then intervening would ruin the simulation.

    • stonedemoman@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I completely agree that’s what this basically boils down too. ST was an interesting concept I read about once and only briefly recalled twice since. Nothing more. This could be a valid criticism of individuals putting more stock into the idea but for anyone else it’s a reach.

      The belief system built around God affects me every single day of my life. I have family that are hardcore Christians that pester me about it regularly. Approximately half of the political ideologies being pushed in my country center around Christian dogma.

      Honorable mentions: Foreign and domestic terrorism threat and future wars being incited.

    • Catsrules@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      that wouldn’t make whoever built the universe a god.

      Well yeah they would have to open the console and type in.

      sv_cheats 1

      god

      Then they would be god.

    • EvolvedTurtle@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Tbh if got was real I think we would just be left in a closet as some kind of hobby

      Or perhaps some kind of faith farm

      Over all not as important as people think we are so overall would have the same effect

      • felbane@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I just wish god’s mom would hurry up and plug a vacuum cleaner into the wrong outlet and pop a breaker already…

    • Gabu@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      The hypocrisy is in claiming to know the truth from a hypothesis with (currently) unknowable factors.

      Can we possibly test for the simulation hypothesis? Not at the present. Thus, to say that it’s true is just as bad as claiming a sky fairy made the world in seven days

    • Russellbush@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I saw a theory by some physicists that there is some evidence we may be a hologram but I’m not smart enough to understand exactly what that means. Sounds neat

      • naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year ago

        Yeah that doesn’t mean we’re running on an alien projector. Science communication of theoretical physics is horrible.

        Anytime you find yourself getting excited about some galaxy brain SciFi stuff just clap out some chalk board erasers and inhale the dust. That’s about how pleasant and exciting theoretical physics is (and how worth doing, fight me you keyboard tapping nerds) and it should help you get in the mood for appreciating findings.

      • Caboose12000@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I’m also not smart enough to understand it completely but I think they meant something strange could be happening with dimensions (think Flatlanders) rather than us being a computer program. anyone with more understanding please elaborate tho

    • User_4272894@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Musk said it in Rogan a few weeks ago, and it became a justified belief overnight. It had huge flaws in logic when he said it, and no one who is parroting the talking point today is thinking beyond “the real life Ironman says we live in the matrix”.

      • K0W4L5K1@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year ago

        Pretty sure simulation theory has been around since the late 80s. Just not in the main media zeitgeist anymore like when matrix came out so Elon just revived it in mainstream media

        • User_4272894@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I mean, Descartes had brain in a vat theories well before the 1980s, and Plato’s allegory of the cave is fundamentally the same. My position was that “the reason we’re talking about it again all of a sudden is because one idiot got on the podcast of another idiot and poorly explained it to the throngs of their uncritical fans”.

        • anticommon@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          The whole simulation theory stems from observations about how fast technology is advancing as a whole, and kind of plays hand in hand with the fermi paradox. Either we are a special advanced civilisation that will continue to advance until we could in theory simulate an entire species/planet/civilisation or whatever or we are doomed to die out before we can advance enough to achieve either that goal or potentially other goals such as building replicating space exploration technology that might be capable of exploring/consuming/adulterating part of the galaxy or even the galaxy as a whole.

          Both theories are basically an extrapolation of our current technological progression with some large assumptions made about the way things in this universe operate as a whole. I don’t think they are particularly far fetched, but I also don’t really see much evidence to support either being a possibility, except maybe the whole we are fucking up our ecosystem and heading towards some type of collapse before we get too advanced parts of the fermi paradox.

          Another theory that I’ve heard which is really just a statistics thing is that it’s most likely that we are an average civilisation that lasts an average amount of time in an average part of the galaxy and that it’s likely we are right about in the middle of the total number of humans that has or will ever exist (about 100 billion came before us, probably another 100 billion to go) which could be a couple centuries or millenia left of human reign over planet Earth.

          All being said, it’s pretty likely that since the future hasn’t happened yet we just won’t know how it all turns out until it does. We’re all just as uncertain as anybody else, and whoever preaches the gospel of kingdom come is just as ignorant as you and I.

  • DumbAceDragon@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    I don’t think anyone actually believes the latter except room temperature IQ tech bros. It’s mostly just a hypothetical.

  • wuphysics87@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    They are similar in that neither are scientific theories, as they are equally non-falsifiable. We may live in a universe where it is impossible to see the face of god or a glitch in the matrix by construction.

    Given that impossibility, how then could you perform an experiment or make an observation that contradicts the theory? To be reductive, science isn’t about proving. It’s failing to disprove. If there isn’t a set of circumstances in which a theory can be disproven, it isn’t scientific.

    Unless you are a string theorist. Then you just say whatever the hell you want.

  • nexguy@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    One of those is a belief and the other is a theory.

    One requires the absence of evidence and the other requires evidence.

  • Alsephina@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Does anyone base their lives and their worldviews around the simulation theory?

    • themelm@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      Its such a philosophical dead end. I know a few people who really want the world to be a simulation but I cant understand why. I think they want an excuse to have nothing matter and be shitty.

      But i would not live my life any differently if we found out that this is a simulation. Because its still real to me and there’s no reason to believe I can exist outside the simulation any more than my sims can exist outside the game.

  • Rustmilian@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    We do live in a simulation and I can prove it.
    Stick your whole hand up your ass and push the secret eject key.

  • Godric@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Makes me miss my old roommate, who didn’t believe in God but believed this all could be a simulation. Hope you’re doing well buddy, wherever the fuck you’ve wandered!

  • R0cket_M00se@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Both are just as unlikely as the other and have as much evidence, I’d find anyone who possesed both beliefs to be weird.

    • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      One is obviously made-up by ancient peoples who knew fuck-all about the world, but insists it’s eternal truth beyond debate. Even the parts that contradict the other parts.

      The other is an openly hypothetical idea based on what we expect is just beyond our current capabilities… and it relies on that we’re-just-atoms materialism.

    • flying_sheep@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      That’s not true

      1. We have no evidence about either and both are non-falsifiable
      2. Living in a simulation is one idea. Each individual religion is a whole bunch of assumptions rolled into one system.

      Therefore “we live in a simulation” is just as likely as “there’s some higher power”, while “the Matrix is a documentary, everything will happen exactly like in the movie” is as likely as “the Christian god is real, just as described in the bible”.

  • confluence@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Dr. Blitz called Simulation Theory religion for tech bros and I can’t get it out of my head 😅