Are We Living In Nick Bostrom’s Speculation: различия между версиями

The idea that our world might be a computer simulation is a relatively recent one. The first ideas of full reality simulation appeared only about 20 years ago. In 1989 Jaron Lanier coined the term «virtual reality», but only since 1990s it became conceivable that a whole world could be simulated. Computer games, especially 3D ones, such as Doom, Quake and many more recent titles, showed how the world (or at least a large part of it) could be recreated on the computer monitor. Several science fiction movies made in the end of 1990s and in the beginning of the 21st century elaborated on these ideas, developing some of the philosophical consequences of simulations and, more importantly, communicating them to the wide audience for the first time.* Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes), 1997 — The main character in this movie signed a contract with a cryonics company. After his death his body was frozen and his mind placed into a computer simulation. In this story, the personalities of all humans are simulated only to the extent necessary for their interactions with the main character. For example, one of the secondary characters, a psychiatrist, has two daughters, but does not know their names.  

* Dark City, 1998 — This movie was also a mystery thriller, hence it showed a more mystical picture of the world and never explained the mechanism of the simulation. However, it led to the Matrix and The Thirteenth Floor films, which developed the idea of world simulation more rigorously and in more details.  

* The Thirteenth Floor, 1999 — This movie introduced the idea of nested simulations and travel from one level to another. A simulation of the early 20th century city is developed in a computer company (in the end of 20th century). It turns out later that the real world is in fact also a simulation, run from what appears to be 21st or 22nd century. Characters can enter the simulation (or exit it) only by being inserted into the body of existing human.  

* Vanilla Sky, 2001 — This is an American remake of Abre lost ojos. The story has not changed much and basic scientific and philosophical premises behind the story are also the same.