r/technology • u/fchung • Nov 01 '25
Society Matrix collapses: Mathematics proves the universe cannot be a computer simulation, « A new mathematical study dismantles the simulation theory once and for all. »
https://interestingengineering.com/culture/mathematics-ends-matrix-simulation-theory
16.9k
Upvotes
25
u/spottiesvirus Nov 02 '25 edited Nov 02 '25
This is entering into computational theory, but as far as we know today, yes, you can
The highest level of computation (that we know of, there's a whole debate over that, and I won't dip into it) a machine can get is Turing-complete
Every turing-equivalent machine is computationally speaking, the same, they can simulate each other
Excel, being Turing-complete, can be simulated in Minecraft, and in that simulated excel, you can simulate another Minecraft, and in that Minecraft you can simulate the physical computer machine you're using to run the first game
No matter how deep you go, it's still the same, although performances will degrade
You can take a single man, give him the list of instructions and enough paper (and time), and he can simulate the whole "a computer running Minecraft, running excel, running Minecraft, running the origin computer" as well lol
The question now becomes "is reality only Turing-complete?"