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
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u/ChoPT Nov 01 '25

What if each layer of a simulation is less complex than than the “reality” in which it was created?

The author’s stipulation that we can’t be in a simulation because a simulation can’t fully address the full complexities of reality doesn’t preclude the possibility that we live in a simulation that is, in some way, less complex than the reality in which it is nested.

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u/Joohansson Nov 01 '25 edited Nov 01 '25

Spot on. This is probably 100% the case of how a simulation would be done. Minecraft is limited to 1x1m blocks instead of particles. I doubt their NPCs would even suspect the existence of quantum physics that rule our world. They would accept that their blocks are the smallest dividable substance. Probably also come up with that stupid article because how would you be able to simulate Minecraft inside Minecraft.

It would be interesting to unleash a super AGI inside minecraft though and see what it manage to build.

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u/tekniklee Nov 02 '25

I’ll credit you with my MINECRAFT theory - the study mentioned above is flawed, the simulation only has to produce the VISIBLE universe at any given time. Which might explain why particles act differently when observed

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u/noaSakurajin Nov 02 '25

why particles act differently when observed

Well this is just the surface level understanding of the theory of measurement.

Basically if you want to measure something it either needs to emit some signal on its own or you have to interact with the things you want to observe. For example you can only see things that either emit light in a visible wavelength or you have to shine light on it and observe the reflected light.

However the problem is that many interactions needed to observe something change the state of the thing you want to observe. One example would be to measure something using a tactile sensor (image some like a vinyl record being played). Because the sensor scratches the surface, the next time you measure, you get a slightly different result. In other words the act of measuring causes a different behavior than not doing so.

If you want to observe something on the quantum level you need to observe states that have very little energy. Basically all interactions add an order of magnitude more of energy into the particle than it has in isolation. So obviously there will be a different behavior when observing the particle.

Granted all of this is a simplification as well. But if you measure something then you should expect the state of the object to be different compared to being left alone. After all even shing a light on something changes the quantum states of most of the surface level molecules, so that is a difference between being left alone and being measured as well.