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author: Kai Witte



The Reality Chain



1. Prerequisite

Let there be an artificial reality, which in all relevant aspects is
similar to this one.

Examples (not important):
    It could be a computer simulation, for example. If you are into
    biology, just as an example, you might want to create it by simulating
    our solar system as it was before life, and then you will observe
    how life evolves in this simulation, with an intelligent species,
    factories, streets, computers, and even this very simulation.

    When you are more of a philosopher you might want to take
    advantage of the research done in the field of Solipsism. So you
    just simulate a "primary" mind similar to yours and simulate the things 
    it perceives - including how such a simulation is being created
    (as per our prerequisite - the reality is similar to yours!).

It doesn't matter how it is done.



2. What happens next

When the prerequisite is satisfied, the simulated reality will create an
inner reality in the same fashion. (If it doesn't, the prerequisite has not
been satisfied; it would not be similar to our reality in all relevant aspects.)
That reality will again create an inner reality and so on.



3. Hypothetical Conclusion

If that would happen, then each reality would be able to observe all
following elements of the chain, but not the one above it. For every
single reality this means that it is unlikely to be the top chain
element, the "real" reality. This includes our reality. In that
situation, as soon as we see the chain of realities grow (probably
slower and slower, if our simulator has something comparable to
limited computation power), we will know that it is STATISTICALLY
unlikely to be the top chain element, and we would know that we live
in a simulation (very likely).



4. How that helps NOW

Why does that not help yet? Because we can't fulfil the prerequisite
(1) yet. But if we could at least prove that it is theoretically
possible and will most likely be created in the future, then the (3)
hypothetical conclusion is a likely reality already.