Have you ever thought about the fact that what you see is simply the result of a mental elaboration? One could say of a data processing since the visible and non-visible elements can be coded. The aspect of what we see, in fact, essentially depends on our perception system (5 senses) and on the processing of signals made by the brain. If we had another detection system we could simply see grouped atoms or billions of other things.
We know very well who Donald Trump is … yet, most likely, most of us have never personally seen or touched him. Donald Trump is therefore a materialization of induced information that we consider credible
( La credibilità di una fonte dipende dalla sua popolarità ) This information received can make a character (or anything else) real.
A person who lives at home 24 hours a day but totally connected with the “external” world through the Internet, TV, Radio … could “know” places, characters and many other things, simply thanks to information received. The same person could write on blogs and participate in discussions of any kind by bringing opinions, ideas and, even clashing on certain issues without having ever had an objective tangible experience about what he discusses.
In practice, we store information from sources that we believe to be reliable (subjective evaluation) and on these “bases” we build our beliefs and our own perceptual life.
If we blindly believe in the source that tells us that there is a divine god and embrace this belief, we will begin to perceive things according to certain patterns … a healing could be attributed to a divine miracle. A death to a wrong human choice. Pain to punishment …
If we blindly believe in Astrophysics … 1000 years ago we would have believed in a Sun that revolved around the Earth and in a flat Earth and today instead in an Earth with the shape of a Geode that revolves around the Sun. We once believed that l ‘Universe was flat, then spherical and now … we don’t really know what shape it can have
… (NewScientist )
If someone created on the computer a character absolutely indistinguishable from other characters (that we consider real) and through the media this character became famous … we would have no problem believing that he is a “real” character. In fact, what our mind recognizes as real is real.
So what is the difference between a “real” and a “virtual” thing?
Probably just our perception of it.
Researchers developed miniaturized versions of the brain (through cell cultivation) that, in many ways, even behave like complete brains, offering scientists the rare opportunity to study human functional brain tissue. Not only that, these so-called “human cortical spheroids” show a striking resemblance to the structure and organization of the human cerebral cortex – (the region responsible for higher-order functions such as language, thought, perception and information processing). ) – and also have active neurons capable of transmitting signals to each other( Tiny spheres of human cells mimic the brain, researcher says )
Let’s Imagine, in xx years, to have a technology that can develop complete brains with a Conscious Consciousness and through more sophisticated systems to be able to transfer information of any kind to the brains. Most likely those brains would begin to live a life, for them, “real” … with induced information such as to be perceived as real and, always probably, once Conscious Consciousness has formed and certain information processed, it would be almost impossible to make them accept the idea of simply being brains. They could see themselves walking, traveling, flying … they could see themselves surrounded by friends, family, alone …. everything would simply depend on the information transferred and the limitations could simply depend on the “program” inserted. (gravity, for example)
Just like Matrix…
Matrix Defence è il termine applicato a diversi casi legali di difesa Osservazioni sui film di Matrix in cui si afferma che il colpevole di un crimine pensi che la realtà sia generata da un computer – simulazione – e dunque il mondo reale sia molto diverso da quello che viene percepito.
Usando questa difesa, l’imputato afferma di aver commesso un crimine perché credeva di essere nel mondo di Matrix e non nel mondo reale. Usando questa difesa, l’imputato può affermare di non aver mai inteso la morte per la propria vittima perché credeva che la vittima fosse viva nell’altra realtà. Questa è una versione di difesa per insanità mentale.
The point is that if we too lived such (induced) realities we could not prove it for the simple fact that our Conscious Consciousness comes precisely from this information which is what builds our reality.
It is absolutely not possible to do it objectively as all reality could be simply a projection of experiences that we would feel like ours and we would never be able to trace the generating source as if we were simply “brains” or “neurons” …. we would not have the means.
Regardless of whether or not you consider “insane” to think you are in a simulation or think you are imagining everything, the objective problem is that there is no way to objectively prove that they are wrong.
Solipsism is the term that defines those individuals who believe that anything outside of them is simply a mental elaboration and that the objective world is actually simply created by their mind.
Therefore accepting that the separation between “Virtual” life and “Real” life is simply discretionary is an act of faith resulting precisely from the fact that it is absolutely not possible to demonstrate that we are not living in a simulation.
What could be the difference between a movie or TV star or a “real” or “virtual” media in general? Thousands of “Influencers” with millions of followers are the product of the Social Media on which they depend. A simple change of algorithms capable of depriving them of visibility would decree their media end. Probably very few people know them personally. For the majority of the public, therefore, they are projections inside their telephones, computers, televisions … Projections that influence their tastes and attitudes.
Many companies are now working on the development of virtual characters. We are very close to creating “virtual” characters that are no longer distinguishable from “real” ones. What then would be the difference between a “real” character that we have never seen before and a “virtual” character?
Would our conception of “Ethics” also change? A porn video between virtual characters, for example. Why censor it since it is simply a numerical set of 0 and 1 that takes shape?
In the movie”Her” the protagonist falls in love with an “Intelligent” Operating System … Although it may seem absurd it is not at all. Just look at what is happening to millions of Japanese teenagers who have become fanatical followers of Virtual Vloggers (Anime) .
We fall in love with the projection of our desires.
If you think this is a Japanese prerogative, you are wrong. The West is fertile ground for Virtual idols:
Miquela (almost 2 millions followers on Instagram) Laila. created in 2018, Bermuda , Blawko …etc.etc.etc…
On the other hand, we now speak quietly with “Siri”, “Google Home”, “Alexa” … Digital systems are becoming an integral part of our world. In a few years, we will probably confide our secrets, our fears to them … In many cases, they will even replace “real” friends …
Do you still think that there is a “clear” difference between “Real” and “Virtual”? The point is that today, still, “virtual” characters are declared as such, but what would happen when the rendering made them absolutely indistinguishable from any other “real” character and their “Virtuality” was no longer declared?
Related Articles:
La Vita è un Videogame? – La Verità è Soggettiva – Esiste una Realtà Oggettiva al di fuori della nostra mente?
Photo Credits: BlickPixel – FunkyFocus – Geralt – Gorkhs – Pixbay –
Photo Editing and Composition: Giorgio Lo Cicero