All Podcasts / The Jordan Harbinger Show / 1239: Rizwan Virk | The Real Mysteries of the Simulation Hypothesis
The Jordan Harbinger Show
The Jordan Harbinger Show

1239: Rizwan Virk | The Real Mysteries of the Simulation Hypothesis

November 13, 2025 • 1h 23m

Summary

⏱️ 8 min read

Overview

Jordan Harbinger sits down with MIT computer scientist and author Rizwan Virk to explore the simulation hypothesis—the idea that our reality might be a computer-generated virtual world. They discuss evidence from quantum physics, the rapid advancement of AI and virtual reality technology, why this theory is taken seriously by figures like Elon Musk and Neil deGrasse Tyson, and what it means for questions of free will, consciousness, and how we live our lives. The conversation covers everything from video game design principles to UFO phenomena, religious metaphors, and the surprisingly short timeline to creating our own fully immersive simulations.

Introduction to the Simulation Hypothesis

Rizwan Virk introduces the core concept of the simulation hypothesis: that what we perceive as physical reality might actually be a computer-generated virtual world, similar to The Matrix. He distinguishes between two main versions—the RPG version where we exist as players outside the simulation controlling avatars, and the NPC version where we're entirely code running on advanced computing systems. The hypothesis isn't just science fiction anymore, as rapid advances in AI and computing make it increasingly plausible that civilizations could create indistinguishable virtual worlds.

  • The simulation hypothesis proposes that physical reality is actually a virtual, computer-generated world
  • Two main versions exist: the RPG version (players outside controlling avatars) and the NPC version (everyone is AI code)
  • Digital physics now looks at conservation of information rather than just energy and momentum
  • The computational substrate running any simulation would need to be far more advanced than current computers
" The simulation hypothesis is basically the idea that what we think of is the physical world, you know, like this table, this chair, that all the physical reality is actually part of a virtual world, a computer-generated world. "

The Probability Argument and Ancestor Simulations

The discussion turns to philosopher Nick Bostrom's simulation argument, which suggests that if any civilization reaches the capability to create fully realistic simulations, they would create billions of them—making the odds astronomically high that we're in one of those simulations rather than base reality. These would likely be "ancestor simulations" where advanced civilizations recreate their own past to study how civilization evolved. This leads to the famous calculation cited by Elon Musk: if there are billions of simulated worlds and only one base reality, the probability we're in the real one approaches zero.

  • Nick Bostrom's 2003 paper introduced the concept of 'ancestor simulations'—advanced civilizations simulating their own past
  • The 'simulation point' is when VR becomes indistinguishable from physical reality
  • If civilizations create billions of simulations, the odds that we're in base reality are billions to one against
  • Modern AI can already create navigable 3D spaces from single photos, showing rapid progress toward simulation capabilities
" If there's 999 million simulated worlds and one physical world, the odds that you are in a simulation is basically billions to one. "
" Your brain can really create an image based on anything. And that's why blind people can get electric signals through, say, their tongue and their brain will create a basic picture of it. "

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