The Simulation Hypothesis - by Rizwan Virk (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The definitive exploration of one of the most daring and consequential theories of our time, completely revised and updated to reflect the rapid advances in artificial intelligence and virtual reality

Are we living in a simulation? MIT computer scientist Rizwan Virk draws from research and concepts from computer science, artificial intelligence, video games, quantum physics, and ancient mystics to explain why we may be living inside a simulated reality like the Matrix.

Simulation theory explains some of the biggest mysteries of quantum and relativistic physics, such as quantum indeterminacy, parallel universes, and the integral nature of the speed of light, using information and computation.

Virk shows how the evolution of our video games, including virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, will lead us to a technological singularity. We will reach the simulation point, where we can develop all-encompassing virtual worlds like the OASIS in Ready Player One or The Matrix--and in fact we are already likely inside such a simulation.

While the idea sounds like science fiction, many scientists, engineers, and professors have given the simulation hypothesis serious consideration, including Elon Musk, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Nick Bostrom. But the simulation hypothesis is not just a modern idea. Philosophers of all traditions have long contended that we are living in some kind of "illusion" and that there are other realities that we can access with our minds.

The Simulation Hypothesis is the definitive book on simulation theory and is now completely updated to reflect the latest developments in artificial intelligence and virtual reality.

Whether you are a computer scientist, a fan of science fiction like the Matrix movies, a video game enthusiast, a spiritual seeker, or simply a fan of mind-bending thought experiments, you will never look at the world the same way again.

Review Quotes

"This book is a must read for anyone willing to consider the plausible possibility that AI generates a simulated world within the larger simulation which we call reality."
--Avi Loeb, bestselling author of Extraterrestrial and Interstellar, professor and director of Harvard's Institute for Theory and Computation and head of the Galileo Project, Harvard University

"Forget science fiction! Prepare to have your mind blown by Rizwan Virk's The Simulation Hypothesis. From quantum mechanics to VR/AR, Virk connects the dots in a way that's both accessible and utterly convincing. If you've ever wondered if we're living in the Matrix, this is your must-read guide to the true nature of reality."
--Chen Qiufan, author of Waste Tide and co-author of AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future

"You take the red pill and you keep on reading and Rizwan Virk, computer scientist and author of The Simulation Hypothesis, will show you how deep the rabbit hole goes."
--BBC Science Focus

"I have learned that we live, teach, learn, and love in a virtual world. In this book, Riz Virk combines the mind of a scientist with the heart of a mystic, using video games to explain the virtual reality that we live in."
--Dannion Brinkley, bestselling author of Saved by the Light

"A stunning reappraisal of what it means to be human in an infinite universe."
--Jacques Vallée, venture capitalist, author of Forbidden Science, former scientist for NASA and Stanford Research Institute

"Rizwan Virk's book The Simulation Hypothesis is one of the few works that could convince me that I probably live in a simulated universe."
--Diana Walsh Pasulka, professor of philosophy and religion, University of North Carolina Wilmington, author of American Cosmic: UFOS, Religion, Technology

"... This idea that we're all characters in an advanced civilization's video game is, well, kind of awesome..."
--Vox.com

About the Author

A graduate of MIT and Stanford University, Rizwan Virk is a successful entrepreneur, video game pioneer, film producer, venture capitalist, and professor, and the bestselling author of The Simulation Hypothesis. Virk's video games, including Tap Fish and Penny Dreadful: Demimonde, have been played by millions. He was the founder of Play Labs @ MIT, a video game accelerator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and currently teaches at Arizona State University.