Reality, Randomness, and Simulation

Reality

Philosophers have long debated about the monorealism of truth i.e. there exists only one truth and rest are nothing but perceptions. However easier it may sound, reality of identifying the reality is far from the truth. When opinions and facts are intermingled as in many cases, it becomes difficult to separate the truth (reality) from the perceptions. The identification of reality involves inward looking inquisitiveness and outward looking validations. All our biases are either the incorrectly validated opinions or outdated beliefs.

A sense of reality comes from the appropriate application of our senses at the events. Our senses help us detect the nature of the objects or events, but they lack the volition of decision making. Our senses merely relay the information to the brain which analyses the data based on existing patterns, judges the situation based on the new information juxtapose formed opinions, and directs the response to the body (or body parts). Therefore, in some sense, reality is the super imposition of new information on the past impressions. Our beautiful mind has the ability to create variety of impressions from a single shred of thought. 

None better than Morpheus convincingly "confuses" Neo on reality. "What is real? How do you define 'real'? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain." - Morpheus, Martix.

The brain, a central source, is vulnerable to all kinds of fallibilities because every experience is realised in the brain. In a human society, one may find many versions of a reality which is the reflection of blended reality. 

For e.g. Mahatma Gandhi is a saint in one part of the world but a shrewd politician in another. Similarly, many historical events are captured with multiple versions (albeit with minor deviations enough to create each with new version). Quintessential Apollo's landing on the moon has remained questionable for many till date.

Does multiple version or randomness make reality difficult to grasp?

Randomness

Only few find comfort in randomness. Lack of predictability makes it hard to get hold of recognisable pattern. Therefore, it is easier to defy than to accept the possibility of disjoint or disparate forces driving an observed event.

There are times when the world doesn't feel real. Serendipities or extreme bad luck, in most cases, are the results of randomness but it feels that world is monitored and controlled by some greater entity. The acceptance of theory of creator is the surrender of impatient minds who can't settle with obscurity or ambiguity. Our mind can't rest at peace without the attribution to unexplained events i.e. "I-don't-know" is never good enough. For e.g. when one receives a call from a friend while thinking about him/her, one doesn't spare a thought on randomness with observation bias but is quick to attribute it to higher authority. One might have thought of many friends on many occasions but only noticed when a thought, a call & an observation happened in short span of time.

One who lacks the capacity to question or the capability to validate struggles with the faculty to experience the reality. Our senses have a limited range to create a perception with higher confidence level that can be attributed as reality. Our consciousness keeps us aware of the reality within the sphere of one's influence. Anything outside the sphere of influence is perhaps the illusion or the impression of reality. What happens when our sphere of influence moves out of the engagement? A dear friend, an embodied person, becomes a sound wave emanating from the phone when the physical distance grows outside the limits of our eye-sight. For all practical purposes, that friend(s) is reduced to a voice. Our communication with the people on the phone could be an advanced personified chat bot developed for our engagement in this vast simulated world.  

Simulation

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk believes that there is "one in a billion" chance that our world is a base reality. In other words, our world that feels so real has a very high probability that it is not. 

Evidently the world feels to be ticking, moving, and beating. Every sound we hear comes from a particular source and for a specific reason, everything we touch has a texture that defines its nature, and every motion we observe has a purpose. Is this liveliness exists only within the sphere of our influence i.e. the world is set in motion when it comes under our sphere of influence and whatever part moves out becomes static. Does this bubble around us move along with our movement on a "map" & make the part of the world alive as it moves on the part? 

Does the reality change when our senses can't detect it? i.e. Does the world continue to function in the absence of detection?

For e.g. You are driving to Paris from London, as you start your journey the entities and objects (trees, tubes, coffee shops, beautiful people in black jackets, miserable weather, cool breeze, traffic jam and capital radio) within the direct detection of your senses becomes active and as you move along, the part of the world that gets in starts to be alive and the part that emits out becomes static. The ferries in the english channel, the Eurostar train, IceCream seller near Eiffel tower, and Mickey mouse in Disney Paris just stay motionless. As you move ahead in your journey, your sphere of influence moves along with you. The sea becomes active as you approach, the aeroplane in the sky pops in, the random traffic jam blocks you from reaching on time, and the ferries start to get ready to take you on the other side. Any information in your journey acquired through any media (voice call, video call, tele, radio, newspaper, websites, etc) can be just stories that are randomly created but permanently persisted in this simulated world. It seems every scientific or cognitive restriction is clearly "placed" in this universe to balance between the capabilities of breaking free and maintaining the curiosity. 

If the simulation is real then it is the only thing in our world is real. A thought may cross one's mind that if indeed one lives in a simulated world then are all people in this world avatar of actual beings, or only one is the real avatar and rest are programs or some agents are not real and most are avatars of actual beings?  

If you were the architect of the Matrix, would you create one platform (one instance) for everyone to be connected for e.g. like we all login to facebook or would you create an instance of the platform for each individual - a facebook for each individual. A universe for each individual supported by programs, chat bot, very high artificial intelligence and powered by unimaginable processing hardware.

Some depth of reality will be extremely difficult for us to fathom.

Indeed the truth is stranger than the fiction, but are we capable enough to differentiate between the Truth and the Fiction?

Reality helps us define the meaning of our life. It derives our values in life and therefore gives purpose to our existence. An incorrect definition of reality will always have an adulterated values in life.  Therefore, no matter how difficult it is to measure the nature of reality, the quest to understand reality will always be a perennial concern.