A growing number of scientists, philosophers, and researchers believe what we consider 'reality' is actually a massive and complex simulation, running on an advanced self-aware supercomputer.
Yes, seriously.
Apparently, all matter, energy, and time might actually be simulated. As you've been hearing lately, we now have supercomputers bordering on "artificial intelligence", or AI. At some point, our technology will reach a point where we can simulate entire planets in full detail (much like we do with Los Angeles in the game GTA). And then, entire universes, with trillions of conscious entities in full detail. We'll be able to use these models to do many things.
Some of our descendants will use these tools to simulate their ancestors. In fact, some of them will simulate YOU (yes, you). They'll use data available from thousands of cameras, government databases, your own files even, to make the simulated 'you' as close to the real one as possible. The simulated you will be self-aware, and will think it's the real you.
Ohhh......... shit.
If you hadn't had that thought before, now you have. Sorry about that.
"So what if I'm not real, I don't know the difference so it doesn't matter!"
Is ignorance really bliss? I'm reminded of that scene in The Matrix where a character is doing everything he can to get his mind back into the simulation.
As a kid, I was always the one at sleepovers asking "what's the meaning of life?" or looking out into the stars and trying to understand my place in the universe.
During college, I contemplated the nature of reality, but didn't study philosophy. Instead I went into psychiatry, where I learned about different types of psychosis like depersonalization and derealization. Some people believe that reality isn't what it seems. No matter what you do with them, how intensively you medicate them, their belief is fixed, and they can't be convinced. As a nurse for 10 years, I cared for patients like that. Some were so sick, they were there involuntarily. For various reasons, I got out of psychiatry.
In 2018, as we get closer to developing the technology to run 'ancestor simulations', we're seriously considering that reality is a complex computer program. I wonder if we're still locking people up for believing stuff like that? Probably.
Let's not be afraid to ask big questions.