Friday, October 31, 2025

Mathematical proof debunks the idea that the universe is a computer simulation

I am not convinced! Maybe the universe, as we know it, is just a huge aquarium or simulation. Our current knowledge is still far too limited to make such sweeping generalizations.

"[the authors] have shown that the fundamental nature of reality operates in a way that no computer could ever simulate.

Their findings ... go beyond simply suggesting that we're not living in a simulated world like The Matrix. They prove something far more profound: the universe is built on a type of understanding that exists beyond the reach of any algorithm. ..."

From the abstract:
"General relativity treats spacetime as dynamical and exhibits its breakdown at singularities‎. 
This failure is interpreted as evidence that quantum gravity is not a theory formulated {within} spacetime; instead‎, ‎it must explain the very {emergence} of spacetime from deeper quantum degrees of freedom‎, ‎thereby resolving singularities‎. ‎Quantum gravity is therefore envisaged as an axiomatic structure‎, ‎and algorithmic calculations acting on these axioms are expected to generate spacetime‎. 
However‎, ‎Gödel’s incompleteness theorems‎, ‎Tarski’s undefinability theorem‎, ‎and Chaitin’s information-theoretic incompleteness establish intrinsic limits on any such algorithmic program‎.
Together‎, ‎these results imply that a wholly algorithmic “Theory of Everything’’ is impossible‎: ‎certain facets of reality will remain computationally undecidable and can be accessed only through non-algorithmic understanding‎. 
We formalize this by constructing a “Meta-Theory of Everything’’ grounded in non-algorithmic understanding‎, ‎showing how it can account for undecidable phenomena and demonstrating that the breakdown of computational descriptions of nature does not entail a breakdown of science‎. ‎Because any putative simulation of the universe would itself be algorithmic‎, ‎this framework also implies that the universe cannot be a simulation‎."

Mathematical proof debunks the idea that the universe is a computer simulation

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