52 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown
52 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Simulation hypothesis"
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chunk: 6/6
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source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulation_hypothesis"
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category: "reference"
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tags: "science, encyclopedia"
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date_saved: "2026-05-05T07:10:30.034179+00:00"
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instance: "kb-cron"
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---
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== In popular culture ==
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The simulation hypothesis and related themes like simulated reality have been explored in literature, film and theatre.
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Simulacron-3 (1964) by Daniel F. Galouye is an early exploration of a computer-simulated city and inspired screen adaptations including World on a Wire (1973) and, later, The Thirteenth Floor (1999).
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The Matrix (1999) popularized the idea of humanity unknowingly living inside a machine-generated virtual reality.
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In Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1983/1984), the protagonist undergoes compulsory “doppling” therapy that transfers his consciousness, and—after a mishap—his mind is kept inside the corporation's central computer.
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Theatre has also treated the topic. Jay Scheib’s 2012 play World of Wires was explicitly inspired by Bostrom’s simulation argument and by Fassbinder’s World on a Wire.
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Philip K. Dick’s short story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” (1966)—about implanted memories and unstable realities—formed the basis for Total Recall (1990) and its 2012 remake.
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In 2025, Italian creative director and producer Giorgio Fazio released the two-track project Nothing But Simulation, thematically tied to the simulation hypothesis and paired with a generative web experience.
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== See also ==
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Artificial life
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Artificial society
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Boltzmann brain
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Brain in a vat
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Digital physics
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Interface theory
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Fine-tuned universe
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Holographic principle
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Matrix defense
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Metaverse
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Mind uploading
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Subjective idealism
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Virtual reality
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== References ==
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== Further reading ==
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Copleston, Frederick (1993) [1946]. "XIX Theory of Knowledge". A History of Philosophy, Volume I: Greece and Rome. New York: Image Books (Doubleday). p. 160. ISBN 978-0-385-46843-5.
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Copleston, Frederick (1994) [1960]. "II Descartes (I)". A History of Philosophy, Volume IV: Modern Philosophy. New York: Image Books (Doubleday). p. 86. ISBN 978-0-385-47041-4.
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Deutsch, David (1997). The Fabric of Reality. London: Penguin Science (Allen Lane). ISBN 978-0-14-014690-5.
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Lloyd, Seth (2006). Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes On the Cosmos. Knopf. ISBN 978-1-4000-4092-6.
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Tipler, Frank (1994). The Physics of Immortality. Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-46799-5.
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Lem, Stanislaw (1964). Summa Technologiae. Suhrkamp. ISBN 978-3-518-37178-7. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
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"Are We Living in a Simulation?" BBC Focus magazine, March 2013, pp. 43–45. Interview with physicist Silas Beane of the University of Bonn discussing a proposed test for simulated reality evidence. Three pages, three photos, including one of Beane and a computer-generated scene from the film The Matrix. Publisher: Immediate Media Company, Bristol, UK.
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Conitzer, Vincent. "A Puzzle About Further Facts". Open access version of article in Erkenntnis.
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Lev, Gid'on. Life in the Matrix. Haaretz Magazine, April 25, 2019, p. 6.
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Merali, Zeeya. "Do We Live in the Matrix?" Discover, December 2013, pp. 24–25. Subtitle: "Physicists have proposed tests to reveal whether we are part of a giant computer simulation".
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Grupp, Jeff (2021-09-01). "The Implantation Argument: Simulation Theory is Proof that God Exists". Metaphysica. 22 (2): 189–221. doi:10.1515/mp-2020-0014. S2CID 237494519.
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Laszlo, Fazekas (2026). Simulated Reality: Brain–Machine Interfaces and Transhumanism. Amazon. ISBN 979-8244192735.
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== External links ==
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Are We Living in a Computer Simulation?—Nick Bostrom's Simulation Argument webpage |