Computability of the Simulation Argument ¶

There is a long philosophical and scientific tradition which hypothesises that reality is an illusion. The most recent entry in this tradition is the so-called Simulation Hypothesis formulated by Nick Bostrom, which proposes that our reality is in fact a computer simulation. However, this raises the essential question of whether our reality is actually computable or not.

This thesis should apply the nature and limits of classical and quantum computation to investigate whether our reality is actually computable or not. As this is a purely philosophical topic, the main focus will be on reading various books and papers on this topic, in the area of physics, computer science and religion and consolidate their implications into a rigorous review and proposal of this problem.

As starting points the following books can be used:

• David Deutsch - Fabric of Reality
• Frank Tipler - The Physics of Immortality
• Various works of Teilhard de Jardin

Requirements:

• Willing to read a lot (but no need to do programming).
• Interest in the nature and limits of classical (and quantum) computation.
• Deep interest in philosophical thinking and ideas.