Ask HN: Would you live differently if you had proof you were in a simulation? - dawhizkid
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goblins
Would it actually change anything to know you were in a simulation?

You're still here, still in the same situation. You simply know your in a
simulation that's all. Simply knowing it isn't going to suddenly given you
super powers and somehow mean you can escape it. Like the universe you are the
simulation, you aren't separate from it.

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dawhizkid
But would you become more nihilistic? Start questioning every social
construct? Would you become less fearful? Happier? Or more depressed?

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goblins
I'm already nihilistic, or Stoic in any case. Already question every social
construct; this started when I read the Illuminati trilogy. Fearful of what?
My happiness and depression swing in roundabouts.

I don't see any of this changing should I discover I'm in a simulation.

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tabeth
Yes. All effort would go towards finding a way to circumvent the rules (logic,
physics, causality, etc.). People already do this with the "reality" they
know, imagine what would happen if nigh-omnipotence were a realistic
possibility?

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tranvu
Is it part of the simulation that I have discovered that I was living in a
simulation? If I have decided that I want to stray off from the simulation,
how would I know I am just playing part of the simulation to live differently?

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perl4ever
Well, if you suddenly vanish, then you know...oh wait.

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krapp
That depends on what is meant by "simulation" and the nature of the "proof."

The default assumption seem to be that it means our reality is essentially
code running on some strange alien computer, something easily comprehensible
which behaves like the Matrix, but that seems far too anthropocentric to be
likely.

It would imply that our universe was _designed_ , though, and that it appears
to exist with _intent,_ and would be incredibly annoyed that the theists
appear to be half right, but still satisfied that they were half wrong.

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sjg007
But wouldn't the discovery that your living in a simulation be part of the
simulation? Would it mean that there is no such thing as free will?

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perl4ever
If I knew I was living in a simulation, I would be terrified of causing it to
crash. It's actually the best reason to worship the creator of the universe
that I can think of - there's no logical reason to think they are perfect, but
it's so terrifying to think there might be a bug in reality that
psychologically it might be necessary to deny the possibility. Also see
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_vacuum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_vacuum)

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malux85
If I knew I was living in a simulation I would deliberately poke at the edges
to try and crash it. It's likely not a single threaded application, you might
be able to crash just a little bit of it.

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SirLJ
Absolutely, I would crack it like Neo :-)

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kristoff_it
Does the implementation of reality really make any difference?

If reality was really implemented on the rocks from that one xkcd comic, would
it be better or worse compared to a computer simulation?

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horatiocain
there is no reason to believe we're not in a simulation.

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pinchharmonic
Not to be an azz, but why does every pseudo-intellectual type pose this
question? What is so special about the term "simulation" just because someone
like Elon Musk says it?

Completely useless topic to waste time and brainpower on.

