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April 01, 2008, 02:26 PM ET
What if the Physical World Is a Virtual-Reality Simulation?
What if the universe is a giant virtual-reality construct? Brian Whitworth, a researcher at Massey University, in New Zealand, agrees that it’s a crazy idea, but he argues that it’s worth thinking about.
It would help answer some questions about physics, Mr. Whitworth says, including explaining why the universe began with a Big Bang (someone flipped the switch on the virtual reality, naturally). He posted a scholarly paper about his ideas earlier this year to a popular physics pre-print server.
I talked with Mr. Whithworth for our weekly audio-interview series. Check out the interview with Mr. Whitworth, or sign up for The Chronicle’s Interviews podcast and get a new installment in iTunes or other feed reader every Tuesday.
His argument could be seen as giving computer scientists godlike status. Is he onto something? —Jeffrey R. Young
Categories: Research
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