It's a plot device beloved by science fiction: our entire universe might be a simulation running on some advanced civilization's supercomputer. But new research from UBC Okanagan has mathematically proven this isn't just unlikely—it's impossible.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/56676015

Their findings, published in the Journal of Holography Applications in Physics, go beyond simply suggesting that we’re not living in a simulated world like The Matrix. They prove something far more profound: the universe is built on a type of understanding that exists beyond the reach of any algorithm.

  • Kairos@lemmy.todayEnglish
    5·
    3 days ago

    But if our universe does non-computable things, then CHURCH TURING IS WRONG, and we can build more powerful computers

    Not necessarily. We could be in a simulation in a computer that can only exist in a universe with different physical laws

    • Artisian@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      3 days ago

      They specifically claim to refute the ‘simulations all the way down’ anthropic-flavored argument which goes as follows:

      1. We can make pretty good simulations already

      2. Later we’ll want to make more and more detailed

      3. Therefore most folks that exist are inside simulations

      4. Ergo we’re probably in a simulation

      If our universe allows us to build more powerful computers, then this argument goes through just the same as it did with Church-Turing.

      (I agree with your broader point: every thing our universe does is a new requirement on the universe simulating ours. But I don’t think this is a particularly relevant observation for the ‘are we in a simulation’ question? Anything our universe does is tautologically something a universe can do.)