The Computational Requirements for the Matrix

goombah99 writes "Nick Bostrom discusses the computational requirements needed to simulate human existence. He offers a proof based on the anthropic principle, that you are almost certainly a computer simulation and not "real". The idea is that given that humans don't go extinct in geologically short time then eventually computer capability will allow complete simulation of the human cortex. Consequently, there must be far more simulations running in future millennia than seconds since you were born. Thus its astronomically more likely you are a simulation than real ... if humans don't go extinct shortly. Recalling the 13th floor, Robin Hanson discusses how one should try to live in a simulation. David Wolpert also weighs in on the physical limits of Turing machines for simulation of the universe. This also may explain why time travel seems impossible: we dont meet visitors from the future since only the present is being simulated."

Comments

The author forgot one important factor...

[mankei]

I just skimmed through the paper. Very intriguing. But I think the author overlooks one important factor in our civilization: Human stupidity. It's well known to be infinite, so his probability calculations would definitely blow up somewhere and his final result would be invalid. We are more likely to have some superpower with an idiot president to start a new world war which ends the human civilization, before we can develop the technology of a "matrix" to simulate human thoughts.

Re:screw it.

[cfscript]

oh, good.

try to travel back in time and fix it, jagoff.

peace is accepting reality. about the same time you do that, you may be able to stop spouting off.