Speed of Light = Processing Speed of the Universe Simulator?

[Gary Childress]

So, there you have it. The simplest explanation for the existence of consciousness is that it is an experience being created, by our bodies, but not for us. We are qualia-generating machines. Like characters in Grand Theft Auto, we exist to create integrated audiovisual outputs. Also, as with characters in Grand Theft Auto, our product mostly likely is for the benefit of someone experiencing our lives through us.

What are the implications of this monumental find? Well, first of all we can’t question Elon Musk again. Ever. Secondly, we must not forget what the simulation hypothesis really is. It is the ultimate conspiracy theory. The mother of all conspiracy theories, the one that says that everything, with the exception of nothing, is fake and a conspiracy designed to fool our senses. All our worst fears about powerful forces at play controlling our lives unbeknownst to us, have now come true. And yet this absolute powerlessness, this perfect deceit offers us no way out in its reveal. All we can do is come to terms with the reality of the simulation and make of it what we can.

Here, on earth. In this life.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... imulation/

So where is this simulator (whatever it is that contains the "processor" that runs at the speed of light but no faster)? Where is this simulation happening? If it is a simulation, then what is the "reality" that this simulator is built or housed in? Does the word "simulation" not carry with it the notion of a "reality" in which the simulator itself ultimately exists? What is that reality?

In some sense, is it not the case that the human brain is a simulator? Is it possible that the speed of light is the speed at which the human brain can maximally run the simulation called "consciousness"?

[Atla]

So, there you have it. The simplest explanation for the existence of consciousness is that it is an experience being created

Except the nondual view is infinitely simpler than a dualistic view such as the above.

[Gary Childress]

So, there you have it. The simplest explanation for the existence of consciousness is that it is an experience being created

Except the nondual view is infinitely simpler than a dualistic view such as the above.

What do you mean by "nondual" view? Can you elaborate a bit on that?

[Atla]

So, there you have it. The simplest explanation for the existence of consciousness is that it is an experience being created

Except the nondual view is infinitely simpler than a dualistic view such as the above.

What do you mean by "nondual" view? Can you elaborate a bit on that?

Unfortunately no, nondualism can take a lot of elaboration and insight to get, weeks or months or years, and many people don't get it even then. Basically it's the refutation of the entire Western philosophy of mind/consciousness.

In short, we Westerners are always thinking in at least two realms of reality. Even when we are completely sure that we are only thinking in one anymore, we are still thinking in at least two realms of reality. Nondualism is what happens when we really bring it down to one.

[seeds]

So, there you have it. The simplest explanation for the existence of consciousness is that it is an experience being created, by our bodies, but not for us. We are qualia-generating machines. Like characters in Grand Theft Auto, we exist to create integrated audiovisual outputs. Also, as with characters in Grand Theft Auto, our product mostly likely is for the benefit of someone experiencing our lives through us.

What are the implications of this monumental find? Well, first of all we can’t question Elon Musk again. Ever. Secondly, we must not forget what the simulation hypothesis really is. It is the ultimate conspiracy theory. The mother of all conspiracy theories, the one that says that everything, with the exception of nothing, is fake and a conspiracy designed to fool our senses. All our worst fears about powerful forces at play controlling our lives unbeknownst to us, have now come true. And yet this absolute powerlessness, this perfect deceit offers us no way out in its reveal. All we can do is come to terms with the reality of the simulation and make of it what we can.

Here, on earth. In this life.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... imulation/

So where is this simulator (whatever it is that contains the "processor" that runs at the speed of light but no faster)? Where is this simulation happening? If it is a simulation, then what is the "reality" that this simulator is built or housed in? Does the word "simulation" not carry with it the notion of a "reality" in which the simulator itself ultimately exists? What is that reality?

In some sense, is it not the case that the human brain is a simulator? Is it possible that the speed of light is the speed at which the human brain can maximally run the simulation called "consciousness"?

Good questions, Gary.

The processing speed of this so-called "simulation" being limited to the speed of light is kind of what I was getting at in my "What is gravity?" thread that I created back in 2018 - viewtopic.php?t=23943

In one of the posts therein, I suggested the following...

I personally believe that the phenomenon of gravity, along with every other phenomenon encountered up at the “local” level of reality, is a “software” issue.

In other words, we experience the phenomenon of what we call gravity because it is a part of the underlying “coding” of reality itself – a coding that is metaphorically similar to the coding that underlies the virtual phenomena of a video game, or a DVD movie, or a laser hologram, or even that of our thoughts and dreams.

I later offered the following post (slightly adjusted for clarity)...

_______

QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT AND THE SPEED OF LIGHT.

...isn’t it possible that the resistance that one encounters in trying to move an object at extreme velocities...

(a resistance that is described as the object gaining mass)

...is, in truth, the result of the entangled informational matrix of, again, “the entire universe” being incapable of re-adjusting its attributes fast enough to accommodate the changing position of that object as it approaches the speed of light?

In other words, what appears to be a situation where the mass and weight of the entire universe seems to be latching on to the object and preventing it from reaching that maximum speed,...

(which, from the perspective of entanglement, is exactly what’s happening)

...is simply a mundane issue concerning the limited rate at which the universe can process its own “software”...

...(with the limit no doubt being the speed of light).

And just in case that last part wasn’t very clear:

If it is indeed possible that the quantum has a limit to the speed at which it can rearrange its patterns of information to accommodate the changing position of an object being pushed to the speed of light,...

...then because that object is inextricably bonded (enmeshed) with all of the other objects throughout the universe via entanglement, then its incremental approach to that speed is incrementally matched - in direct proportion – by a growing resistance that eventually reaches a point to where it feels like it is dragging the entire universe along with it.

Why?

Because that is exactly what it is doing - dragging the entire universe along with it...

...(hence the theorized problem of acquiring infinite mass).
_______

The point is that yes, the entire material universe is indeed like one gargantuan video game whose underlying software processes and algorithms cannot run faster than the speed of light.

However, such a limitation does not apply to the "speed of thought."

No, I suggest that the speed of thought makes the speed of light seem as though it were standing still in comparison.
_______

[mottledbuyer]

Except the nondual view is infinitely simpler than a dualistic view such as the above.

What do you mean by "nondual" view? Can you elaborate a bit on that?

Unfortunately no, nondualism can take a lot of elaboration and insight to get, weeks or months or years, and many people don't get it even thenbasketbros. Basically it's the refutation of the entire Western philosophy of mind/consciousness.

In short, we Westerners are always thinking in at least two realms of reality. Even when we are completely sure that we are only thinking in one anymore, we are still thinking in at least two realms of reality. Nondualism is what happens when we really bring it down to one.

The idea is that, sure, the entire physical cosmos is like one enormous computer game, with software and algorithms that are essentially limited to running at the speed of light.