Hypothetical Question

[killshot]

If you were to find out that the life you are living now is nothing more than a simulation, would you rather continue your current existance with the knowledge that nothing is real or would you perfer to awaken from the simulation and accept whatever reality is?

[HeavyDDR]

Nope.

If anything I'd live the rest of my 70 years a lot more happily. Burn a church or two. I dunno.

[PersianSpice]

Now, if I awaken from the simulation, would I be able to go back into it?

[WillPhanto1]

You mean, like in "The Matrix"?

[killshot]

Nope whatever decision you make is permanent.

To WillPhanto1: You can think of it that way.

[RobinMarlesuth]

I honestly have no actual answer to that question. I also have been pondering it for a while. And I came up with this: If it is in fact a simulation then only two options exist that make sense.

1. Stay in the simulation only to forever ponder if you made the right choice.
2. Leave the simulation only to forever ponder if you made the right choice.

Either way, you'll never know what the right choice is. Leaving or staying only depends on your personality and imagination. Or at least that is what I think.

[BoxOfFun]

I would stay i the simulation. I would know nothing is real, so I can blow it all up.

...

What?

[PersianSpice]

Then no. =P

[Tatterdemalion]

If you were to find out that the life you are living now is nothing more than a simulation, would you rather continue your current existance with the knowledge that nothing is real or would you perfer to awaken from the simulation and accept whatever reality is?
I've seen this movie. And I've heard it even before that (see also: Plato).

Again, we're getting into the big metaphysical questions, presented in an overly simplified form. First off, have you considered that there are many, many people who do believe this, not just hypothetically, but practically? Keep in mind that anyone who believes in an afterlife of any sort is acknowledging the existence of a reality greater than that which we know to exist (a possibility which I myself believe in).

The main pressing question that you can't overlook is the question of what reality actually is. And how do you gauge what reality is or is not when all you can rely on is your senses, which offer you a limited perspective? (again, Allegory of the Cave)

If there is indeed a greater reality beyond what we know to be true, does that make the world we are familiar with any less real? It still exists to us, right? After all, reality can only be known by what our mind percieves, right? So if we percieve something, how can it be unreal, at least to us?

Still, thank you for reminding me I need to get back into trying lucid dreaming.

And as for your question, there's really no choice, because it would be impossible to discover that there is a higher reality until you have transcended the plane of your own existence. So once you discover it, you're already there.

[killshot]

First off, have you considered that there are many, many people who do believe this, not just hypothetically, but practically?
Yes, I am well aware that there are quite a number of people who believe life is just a simulation. It seems rather absurd to me, but it is definitely a thought provoking concept.

I find your brand of solipsism to be fascinating. I don't completely agree, but it is interesting none the less. I define reality as the collective consciousness of all people. The mind is able to be deceived, but this does not alter reality. For example, a magician can seemingly defy the laws of physics through illusions, but even though they can fool everyone in the audience the magician still knows its just a trick.

Back to the original question, I do believe there is a choice. The choice is to remain in this life and accept a false reality as the truth, or to increase your awareness of the world around you and discard your old life. The question is as much about the fear of change as it is about a higher plane of existance.

[Tatterdemalion]

I find your brand of solipsism to be fascinating. I don't completely agree, but it is interesting none the less. I define reality as the collective consciousness of all people. The mind is able to be deceived, but this does not alter reality. For example, a magician can seemingly defy the laws of physics through illusions, but even though they can fool everyone in the audience the magician still knows its just a trick.
I agree that a slight disorder of the stomach can make the senses cheat, which is exactly why reality cannot be gauged. What I'm saying is that in order for something to be measured there has to be an objective standard, and there is no standard for measuring reality because we don't have enough perspective to judge.Back to the original question, I do believe there is a choice. The choice is to remain in this life and accept a false reality as the truth, or to increase your awareness of the world around you and discard your old life. The question is as much about the fear of change as it is about a higher plane of existance.
What I'm saying is that it's impossible to become aware that a reality is "false" unless you've already left it. Since reality can only be measured to an individual by what one percieves (regardless of whether or not this perception is correct), and one accepts as an axiom that one percieves is real, then a person would only be able to suspect that the world they know is "unreal" if something indicated this to them, which couldn't happen until they already left the "false" reality, which would allow them to gain a new, broader perspective.

Am I communicating well, or is this just gibberish?

[Chidori]

You're about as deep as a puddle.

[killshot]

I am in awe of your insightful contribution to the topic.