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Resource List: The Simulation Argument
 The Simulation Argument is a nature of the universe argument made by philosopher Nick Bostrom. It states that:
At least one of the following propositions is true:
(1) the human species is very likely to go extinct before reaching a ?posthuman? stage;
(2) any posthuman civilization is extremely unlikely to run a significant number of simulations of their evolutionary history (or variations thereof);
(3) we are almost certainly living in a computer simulation.
The argument works, by assuming [1] is false, and the human race is not extremely likely to wipe itself out before reaching a posthuman stage of development. That would imply that a large proportion of civilisations as advanced as ours go on to be post-human (or post-insert_species). Assuming that these species then become technologically advanced enough to run a large number of computer simulations without losing the necessity of simulation ([2] is then false.) That means that each highly developed society is running a massive number of very powerful simulations.
If both [1] and [2] are false, then we are faced with the knowledge that only a very very few of all possible civilisations are not simulated. Astronomically few in fact. Therefore, statistically the chance of this civilisation running in a simulated world is so near certain as to make the difference negligible. Therefore [3] is most likely true.
The following is al ist of all articles, product reviews and other resources upon this site that feature this argument, or that reinforce one aspect, or another.
Dictionary: The Simulation Argument
The Simulation Argument: Why the Probability that You Are Living in a Matrix is Quite High
The film "The Matrix" Promoted a lot of philosophical musing on the nature of reality. One philosopher, Nick Bostrom, postulated 'the Simulation Argument', the belief that the world we live in, is in fact itself a simulation, and a complex scientific proof to support the idea.
Why Make a Matrix? And Why You Might Be In One
Revisiting the Simulation Argument, and an essay on why detailed, immersive simulations on the scale of the Matrix movie might be built, the philosophy of whether or not you are living in one right now, and realistic explanation for many of the common expected fallacies of this argument.
Films: The Thirteenth Floor
Debuting the same year as the Matrix, this gem of a VR film was sadly overshadowed by the blockbuster. Yet, it has an equally if not slightly more poignant VR concept: All of reality is a simulation, layered simulation on top of simulation.
Films: The Matrix
The Matrix, much over-hyped, and copied. How real is it really? Is such a world really possible?
Films: Matrix Reloaded
The second part of the continung story of the Matrix, the massive film franchise that brought VR into the public spotlight for a time.
Films: Matrix Revolutions
Matrix Revolutions picks up right where Matrix Reloaded left off. This is perhaps unsurprising, as the two are essentially one long film, split into two parts. Whilst both lack the raw power of the original, Revolutions is the better film, as it ties things up into logical conclusions, and could stand alone. The same could not be said for Reloaded.
Books: The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real
An introduction to philosophy book, third in the ?Popular Culture and Philosophy? series, The Matrix and Philosophy is a collection of essays that mediate on the nature of existence, using the film The Matrix, and the simulation of total reality as a frame of reference.
Books: More Matrix and Philosophy: Revolutions and Reloaded Decoded
The sequel to ?The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real?, this book continues the work of the first, by mediating on the nature of existence, using the film The Matrix, and the simulation of total reality as a frame of reference.
Books: Decoding Reality: The Universe as Quantum Information
Decoding Reality is very much a Simulation Argument book. In its pages, physicist Vlatko Vedral argues that we should regard the entire universe as a gigantic quantum computer.
Books: Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos
Essentially this volume is one MIT quantum physicist's contention that the universe itself is one big quantum computer producing what we see around us, and ourselves, as it runs a cosmic program.
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