Analysis of how a consciousness-lacking mechanistic observer perceives real events and those simulated by a computer

Abstract

Physical theories must stem from observation. The possibility that perceived events are simulated, not real, raises a crucial dilemma about the credibility of known physics, known as the simulation hypothesis. To analyze this hypothesis in deterministic and mechanistic terms, an observer is conceptually developed, whose internal state depends on external events. It is demonstrated that the observer cannot distinguish between simulated and real events. It is argued that if the observer could observe its entire dynamics, it could formulate the necessary principles of relativity to distinguish real from non-real physical motions. Finally, an attempt is made to apply the same considerations developed for the mechanistic observer to the human being.