If we live in a simulation, I think it’s more likely to be running for entertainment than science.
The simulation hypothesis has gained serious traction over the past two decades. The logic is straightforward: as technology advances, simulated realities will eventually become indistinguishable from base reality, and since there can be countless simulations but only one base reality, the odds suggest we’re in a simulation.
But while most discussions about this focus on scientific motivations—perhaps advanced civilizations running ancestor simulations to study their evolutionary history or testing different physical laws—I suspect a more straightforward purpose: entertainment.
Reality TV for aliens
Perhaps our entire universe is some alien civilization’s version of reality TV. Maybe they tune in every night to watch the drama unfold on this strange little planet called Earth. The political intrigue, the technological breakthroughs, the cultural movements—all playing out for their amusement.
Our simulation’s creators would be incentivized to maximize engagement, just as our own reality TV producers do. Periods of stability might be algorithmically shortened while conflicts and breakthroughs get amplified. Decades where nothing happens and weeks where decades happen.
The ultimate sportsbook
Imagine, somewhere, bookies are currently pricing odds on various outcomes for our species:
- “Will humans make it to Mars by their year 2040?”
- “What are the odds they’ll develop artificial general intelligence in the next decade?”
- “How likely is a communist revolution in the US?”
It seems likely that if hyper-realistic and sufficiently non-deterministic simulations were possible (there needs to be some level of randomness), a good chunk of them would simply be offered by the gambling industry.
And if we do indeed live in service of a sportsbook, I hope the smart money is on our survival…
P.S. imagine someone just hit massively long odds betting on “humans discover the nature of reality before 2026”. (lol)