If one day you discover that the world you live in seems to be controlled by some anonymous force, and ultimately through investigation you find out that you are actually in a virtual world called “The Matrix”, how would you feel?
In fact, there is a group of scientists studying this topic! After all, whether our world is real or not, from a scientific perspective, we all want to try to prove the mysteries. If this statement is connected to a theme closely related to us, it will determine whether our world is real and, from a certain perspective, it may explain whether we are alone in the universe.
With the development of science and technology, we have a better understanding of the world, but at the same time, many doubts and confusions arise. We see that the material world we see, hear, touch, and feel is not simple and clear; it contains many mysteries and enigmas.
The world we see contains many mysteries. (Illustration: Zhihu).
In the quantum world, the existence and behavior of the observer significantly influence the state and outcome of the observed object. In other words, how we observe the world will determine to some extent how the world exists.
In 2003, Nick Bostrom, a philosophy professor at Oxford University, published a paper titled “Are We Living in a Computer Simulation”, detailing that the probability of us living in a non-simulated world is extremely low. After the paper was published, it gained widespread recognition.
Elon Musk has publicly stated that the probability of humans living in a virtual world is as high as 99%.
Are we living in a virtual world? (Illustration: Zhihu).
With so many famous people believing that the world is virtual, is there a way to confirm this?
Before discussing this issue, we must mention a groundbreaking experiment that challenges traditional concepts, known as the double-slit experiment. From this experiment, we know that matter behaves differently when observed and when not observed. When there is no observer, electrons passing through the double slit exhibit wave-like properties; when observed, electrons seem to ‘know’ they are being watched and will display particle-like properties.
We can make a simple metaphor to illustrate this situation: “When you observe or use your mobile phone, it functions like a mobile phone, but when you put it in a place out of sight, it no longer acts like a mobile phone.”
This phenomenon is very peculiar in the real world but can be clearly explained through computer programs. Many who have played 3D games may know that scenes in games are displayed in real-time and do not always exist in that location. If we leave that area, the views will disappear, and the computer will not display them again until we return.
Image from the sci-fi movie “The Matrix.” (Illustration: Zhihu)
Even when you play a 3D online game with friends, although they seem to be in the same world, in some sense, they are not in the same world. Because what your computer displays is only what you see, while the scenery your friend sees is what their computer displays.
Do you feel this might resonate with the world we are living in today? Each of us has our own perspective, but a “system” that is not defined may have displayed many different pictures for us in real-time. Although we and those around us seem to be in the same world, are we all playing our own “game”?
This observation effect has led some scientists to propose a bold and surprising hypothesis: “The world we see may not be real but merely a result of our brains processing a vast amount of information.” In other words, the physical world we perceive may simply be a virtual reality composed of code. This assumption is also supported by some in the tech field. They believe that with the advancement of computer technology and artificial intelligence, we can create increasingly realistic and complex virtual environments.
The physical world we perceive may just be a virtual reality. (Illustration: Zhihu).
If there were an extremely intelligent civilization capable of creating a virtual reality program beyond our perception and technological capabilities and placing us within it, could we distinguish reality from illusion? This question sounds very much like the plot of the sci-fi movie “The Matrix.” In this film, humans are controlled by a virtual reality system called “The Matrix”, imprisoned in a world created from code, unaware that the real world is a wasteland ruled by machines.
This film presents us with a profound and thought-provoking question: “How can we be sure that we are living in a real world and not a virtual one?” What methods or standards do we have to verify our perception and understanding? Can we trust our senses and our brain? There is no simple and clear answer to this question, and different people may have varying perspectives and understandings. But we can explore this issue from a scientific standpoint and try to find some clues and evidence. From a scientific perspective, we can analyze our world with the help of quantum mechanics.
Quantum mechanics can help us explore the physical world around us. (Illustration: Zhihu).
It reveals the nature and laws of the most fundamental particles and forces in nature. There are some puzzling and miraculous phenomena in quantum mechanics, such as the uncertainty principle, wave-particle duality, the observer effect, entanglement, and interference, etc. These phenomena indicate that at the microscopic level, matter and energy are not determined in our traditional perception but are filled with probabilities and possibilities.
Do these phenomena prove that we are living in a virtual world? Some scientists think so. They believe that the uncertainties and mysteries in quantum mechanics imply that the physical world we see is not real but a virtual reality composed of codes. They present several arguments to support their view. One of the arguments is based on information theory.
Information theory is a mathematical theory that studies the transmission and processing of information, defining concepts such as information entropy, information volume, and information compression. Information theory posits that any type of information can be represented in binary code, such as 0s and 1s.
Any type of information can be represented in binary code. (Illustration: Zhihu).
This type of code can be used to describe any physical system or phenomenon, such as electrons, photons, sound, images, etc. If we consider the entire universe as a giant information system, it can also be represented in binary code. In other words, everything that exists in the universe can be encoded with 0s and 1s. For advanced civilizations, this is not a difficult task.
As for whether the world is virtual or not, there is currently no scientific experiment proving or disproving this. We may never be certain whether we are living in the real world or a virtual one. But this does not stop us from exploring this amazing world.
