Updated: August 27, 2024
Right now,
if you look at the scientific
literature on the nature
of reality, you will come across
something called the simulation
hypothesis. And this simulation hypothesis suggests that you and I
and the universe are part of a virtual reality
or a simulation, and that we are dream characters in a collective
dreamscape. This is an old idea. Maya. Maya is
the illusion, the goddess of
illusion and Leela is the play
of consciousness. But our current scientists
are not there yet, and they do suggest,
some of them, that the universe is
a virtual reality. And this hypothesis
was first proposed by philosopher
Nick Bostrom in 2003, I believe. And Bostrom argues
that if advanced civilizations
are able to create simulated realities,
then it is likely that we are
living in one.
This is because the
number of simulated realities
that could be created by advanced
civilizations is vastly greater
than the number
of real universes. There are
several arguments in favor
of this hypothesis, which is called
simulation hypothesis. One argument
is that the laws of physics seem to be fine
tuned for mind and life. This means that the constants of nature, such as the speed of light
and the gravitational
constant, are just right for the
existence of life. This is very this is a very unlikely coincidence if
the universe is real, but it is not
unlikely if the universe
is a simulation.
Another argument
in favor of the simulation
hypothesis is that the universe seems to be
computationally feasible to simulate so we can simulate
the universe. If we assume that
the universe is a computer simulation, then the amount
of computing power required to simulate it would be equal to the amount of energy
in the universe. This is a large
amount of energy, but it is not impossible to achieve. So these are some of the ideas that are
being proposed. And if you want to
know my opinion, I think people are
getting close to it, but they are not actually there. They are
getting close to it. They're not actually
there. So, you know, I would like
to actually give an alternative
explanation and that is also part of a mainstream discussion
right now. The universe
looks more like a big thought
than a big machine. That's a quote from the Mysterious
Universe by British
astronomer and mathematician
James Jeans. Sir James Jeans. And that book was published
as early as 1930 and explores
the philosophical implications
of modern physics. James was fascinated
by the order and regularity
of the universe, and he argued that
it was more likely to be the product of a mind than
of a random process.
Here, I quote
from James Jeans: the universe begins to look more and more
like a great thought rather than
a great machine. Mind no longer
appears to be an accidental intruder into the
realm of matter, but rather its creator
and governor, Sir James Jeans'
quote reflects the growing awareness in the
early 20th century that the laws of
physics are not
as deterministic as once thought. Quantum mechanics
in particular showed that there is an element
of unpredictability in the universe. This led
some physicists to believe that the universe
could not have been, not could not have
arisen by chance, but must have been
created by a mind. James Jeans' quote is still relevant
today as physicists continue to grapple
with the mystery of the universe. The more we learn
about the universe, the more it seems to resemble
a vast and complex thought rather than
a simple machine. This is the question
of whether there is a mind
behind the universe and whether it is
simply a product of chance. In recent years, there's been a growing interest
in the field of quantum
consciousness, which explores
the possibility that consciousness is an essential property
of the universe.
If this is true, then Sir James
Jeans' quote could be seen as a
prescient statement of the nature
of reality. All this is
very recent, but my friends, it is part
of the ancient tradition of Vedanta that there is an infinite realm of existence, which is infinite
possibilities. Superposition
of all possibilities where the laws of quantum
mechanics apply. And this infinite entity
being infinite is capable
of projecting infinite universes, and it does so through its own self
interaction. And this now is being supported
by string theories, multiverse theories. But I think
if you're not averse to using
spiritual terms, all these universes are springing forth from one
consciousness, from one mind, and we can call it
the divine mind or God, or Allah,
or Brahman, or Ein Sof, or It, or
the Unified field, or the conscious
energy field.
It doesn't matter
what we call it, but we are part of God's
dream. Simple. All these theories
are accommodated if you understand that you and I are a flickering dream in the One mind. Let me
know what you think..
