This post is the introduction to a new series here on the Partially Examined Life blog: "Saints and Simulators," a look at cutting-edge modern technology, and its implications for both religion and philosophy. We'll be both beginning and ending the series with a deliberately provocative question: Did Nick Bostrom, professor of philosophy at Oxford University, provide the first convincing modern proof of the probable existence of God?
At first glance it seems more than unlikely. Bostrom—best known for his notorious theory that the world exists only on a giant computer—isn't a notably a religious man. What's more, philosophers and theologians have argued for thousands of years as to whether God exists; whether the existence of God can be proven; and whether demonstrating proof of God’s existence is something we should even try to pursue. Despite all this, in the year 2003, when Bostrom published a new theory detailing the strong probability that God does in fact exist, next to nobody noticed.*
This was not because the paper itself languished in obscurity. It was cited affirmingly by respected scientists, and billionaire entrepreneurs, and its line of logic was even certified by the presumably sober-minded analysts at the Bank of America. Yet the headline-grabbing claim that made it famous was seemingly not about God at all, but rather about the likelihood that our entire universe exists only as a simulation on a cosmic computer.
Perhaps this was because the claim about God was tossed off by Bostrom as a casual aside; or because it seemed irrelevant to his largely atheistic, technology-minded audience. Nevertheless, the implications about God are arguably the most interesting and important parts of the theory, because (a) they serve as the foundation of an entirely new and original defense of religious belief, and (b) because they are closely tied to assumptions about the universe that are consistently cited in defense of atheism.
If you'd like to read the original paper, it's here: Are You Living in a Computer Simulation? All you have to do is blink, however, and you'll completely miss the theological content—or perhaps just find it less than compelling.
Accordingly, the first part of this series will comprise a layman’s introduction to the simulation theory itself, and shows how, as ridiculous as they may seem on the surface, its core conclusions follow logically from some of the most commonly accepted assumptions of today’s modern scientific worldview; and how its conclusion, accordingly, is far more difficult to escape then one might assume. The next part of the series will introduce the closely related idea of the “technological singularity,” a time predicted for the near future when the power of technology grows without limit. It explains the fears and concerns people have for the concept, including Bostrom’s own shockingly plausible fear that the human species could be wiped out by the unintentional creation of killer robots.
The series will conclude with Bostrom’s admission that his simulation theory necessarily entails a godlike figure (the simulator), and with a demonstration that both the simulation theory and the concept of the technological singularity unexpectedly lead toward belief in something strikingly similar to God as described in the major traditional religions of the world.
Chris Sunami writes the blog The Pop Culture Philosopher, and is the author of several books, including the social justice–oriented Christian devotional Hero For Christ. He is married to artist April Sunami, and lives in Columbus, Ohio.
I’m interested to see how you will argue this proves or does not prove the existence of God, but I also had some questions about the original paper.
Would the energy cost of running these simulations (even just one level) be achievable or worth it? Is there current research that shows that running these simulations is feasible?
What are the actual reasons people would have for running these simulations in a posthuman era? Bostrom gives some reasons why they would not be interested, but starts from the position that they would be without a clear argumentation.
Those are good points, Tom. I’m not sure there’s a great answer to the energy costs question –Bostrom seems to rely on the assumption that the energy costs of computing power can continue to decrease more-or-less without limit.
I do directly address the “why” question (why would our descendants simulate us) in future installments, so please keep reading! New posts will come out every Thursday.
It is very easy to understand that we do not have freewill. Have you ever done anything without any reasons? No, of course not. But since your reasons come before you take action, your past is controlling your present. That is you do not have freewill at the present moment. Bible says – what you sow is what you reap – no freewill.
Naturally, absence of free will means we are guided by destiny. Destiny is also mentioned in the Bible. Destiny means everything is precisely planned, moment by moment, and can be exactly predicted, by any high level yogi with the power of third eye. This then means life is programmed, with no choices, we are puppets. In this sense the simulation is nothing but the well known concept of destiny.
Bible does not say that God created the entire universe. Bible says – “God is spirit.” That means your soul has created you, and my soul has created me. Every object has a soul, and that soul has created that object. Thus there is no God that created the entire universe. It also means I am not my body, I am my soul. Therefore the simulator is not the creator. There is no such simulator.
Since all objects in the universe are continuously interacting with each other, this simultaneity law creates the destiny law. If anything moves then everything will move. So everything is planned and cannot be changed. You can see this simultaneity law working inside our corporations. That is why nobody has any freedom inside the corporations. All projects are precisely planned in a meeting with everybody, before the projects start. We know what exactly we will do tomorrow in our jobs. For more on destiny law take a look at the free book on soul theory at https://theoryofsouls.wordpress.com/