Do We Live Inside a Simulation?

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As a simulator of universes we have zero motivation to simulate people inside those universes just zero I just cannot imagine why would you want to do that. If you wanted to simulate the universe perfectly, then you can count the number of bits or more technically cubits. That's required to do that it's a stupendously large number something like a 10 to the 124 I think. So you're required to simulate the whole universe. And how can you do that? Well, it turns out that you would need to use the whole universe to build your computer. But but where in reality, where in reality,. it's a sort of hoax of some sort, and that's that's where

It's somewhat amazing that cosmology, the study of the universe as a whole, can make any progress at all. But it has, especially so in recent decades. Partly that's because nature has been kind to us in some ways: the universe is quite a simple place on large scales and at early times. Another reason is a leap forward in the data we have collected, and in the growing use of a powerful tool: computer simulations. I talk with cosmologist Andrew Pontzen on what we know about the universe, and how simulations have helped us figure it out. We also touch on hot topics in cosmology (early galaxies discovered by JWST) as well as philosophical issues (are simulations data or theory?).

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Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2023/06/19/240-andrew-pontz…and-the-universe/

Andrew Pontzen received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Cambridge. He is currently Professor of Cosmology at University College London. In addition to his research in cosmology, he frequently writes popular articles and appears in science documentaries. His new book is The Universe in a Box: Simulations and the Quest to Code the Cosmos.

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