1. The
Question Posed
All life on Earth is nothing more
than an elaborate facade created by super-intelligent beings.
Humans now exist in a computerized version of the world –
a simulation that keeps us happy, while our powers are drained
by our creators for use as fuel in their campaign for dominance
in the ‘real’ world. This is the premise of the
cult sci-fi thriller The Matrix.
‘The
simulation hypothesis, that we are currently living in a computer
simulation, should be understood literally, it’s not
just in a metaphorical sense whereby one could view the universe
as a simulation, but literally we would be living in a simulation
created by some advanced civilization in a computer they built
in their universe. And everything we see and our brains themselves
would just be parts of this simulation.’ Oxford University
philosopher Dr Nick Bostrom echoes the thoughts of sci-fi
writers and scientists alike. The simulation hypothesis is
not sci-fi, it’s serious academic thought.
In Are We Real? Martin Rees navigates
the extraordinary territory between science fact and science
fiction. He reveals the logical steps that have led cosmologists
and philosophers to the shocking conclusion that The Matrix
scenario cannot be safely relegated to our storybooks. Whether
it’s true or not, and it might be, here is a story that
is altogether more serious and more deeply disturbing than
any sci-fi fantasy could ever be.
Cosmologist Professor Max Tegmark
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology warns us that
‘We humans have undergone a series of demotions, a series
of blows to our ego.’ Prepare yourself for another.
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