http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/science/14tier.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

मलाइ केही समयदेखी यो सिमुलेटेट रियलिटी भन्ने कन्सेप्टले बडो अच्चम्मित बनाएको छ| Matrix movie को जस्तै कुरो हो| Matrix मा real physical body भयेका मानिसहरुलाइ तरल पदार्थको भाडोमा राखेर energy farming गरिएको थियो| ति अभागि मानिसहरुको ब्रैनलाइ चै computer simulation मार्फत make belief सन्सारको लिलामा भुलाइएको थियो|
यो Nick Bostrom भन्ने Oxford University को फिलोसोफीको प्रोफेसर को थेउरी चाही अलि फरक छ| उनको बिचारमा हाम्रो physical body पनि छैन, हामी खालि computer को मेमोरीमा 0 र 1 को रुपमा मात्र छौ|

जसरी computer game खेल्ने ठिटोले Sim City गेममा अवतार (avatar) स्रिजना गर्छ, तेसरी नै हामी पनि कुनै शक्तिशाली कम्पुटरमा खेलिएको गेमको अवतार हुनसक्छौ| प्रश्न उठला - हामी मानिसहरु चेतनायुक्त छौ तर यि software अवतार कसरी conscious हुनसक्लान्? यो त बडो गम्भिर फिलोसोफिकल प्रश्न भयो| को conscisouness भएको छ, को छैन त्येसको उत्तर त त्येसले बाहिरी रुपमा (external behaviour) कसरी ब्यबहार गर्छ त्यसमा भरपर्छ|

उदाहरणकोलागि Deep Blue computer ले गेरी कस्पारोभलाइ चेसमा हराउदा कतिले भने - Deep Blue ले सोचेर चेस खेलेको थिएन, उ त खालि mechanical calculations मात्र गरेको थियो। तर बास्तवमा Deep Blue साच्चिकै conscious भएर गेम खेलेको थियो या थिएन यो त test गर्न सकिने कुरा होइन, अनुमान मात्रगर्ने कुरो हो| computer शक्तिशाली हुन थालेपछि यि avatar हरु पनि conscious जस्तै behave गर्नसक्छन्|

यदि Nick Bostrom को थेउरी सत्य हो र हामि साच्चै कम्पुटरको सिमुलेशनभित्र बाचिरहेका छौ भने त्येसको ramifications के हुनसक्छ? माया, प्रेम, नैतिकता इत्यादि कुरोको कुनै अर्थनै रहेन| कसैले कसैलाइ मारिदिए पनि हुन्छ किनभने यो सबै game मात्र हो|
अर्को रोचक कुरो के भने ति avatar पनि advanced हुदै जादा उनिहरुले पनि computer प्रविधिको बिकास गर्न सक्छन अनि उनिहरुपनि आफ्नै computer game बनाएर अरु avatar जन्माउन सक्छन| simulation inside simulation, simulation inside simulation inside simulation, simulation inside simulation inside simulation inside simulation....

These days no article is complete without venerable Wikipedia link. So here it is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulated_reality

If there are any computer science students/experts, it would be interesting to read their viewpoint.

Tinkune

Only one comment, Space Odassy 2001 never achieved. In fact we are not even 1% closer to that.

As long as artificial intelligence is concerned, we could never moved in the pace that was imagined back in the 50s and 60s. In my openion, even our grand children will not see an unmanned car running in highway 35.

That's true for the present state of AI.

However what Nick is arguing is that the world we are living is inside the simulation run by "post-human beings". Some advanced human beings in the future would like to simulate their ancestors and since they are likely run billions of simulations, there is good chance that we are already living in such simulation.

i. It is possible that a civilization could create a computer simulation which contains individuals with artificial intelligence.
ii. Such a civilization would likely run many – say billions – of these simulations (just for fun; for research, etc.)
iii. A simulated individual inside the simulation wouldn’t know that it’s inside a simulation – it’s just going about its daily business in what it considers the “real world”.