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Mathematical proof debunks the idea that the universe is a computer simulation (phys.org)

submitted 1 day ago by technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/science@lemmy.world

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Their findings, published in the Journal of Holography Applications in Physics, 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.

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[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 34 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes it seems to be nonsense. Yes the universe has non algorithmic knowledge. All the universal constants and theories fall into that category. The speed of light is 2.99x10^8 m/s and constant in all reference frames. That's what it is. There's no algorithm to derive it. (Yes you can use other universal constants to get c but it's the same deal.)

[–] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 21 hours ago

also there's various forms of randomness which cannot be pre-computed. and that includes observing the world around you.

it's interesting, because there's even things within maths itself that cannot be pre-computed. just consider the n-th digit of any irrational number, such as the square root of 2. any computer, no matter how you prepare it, necessarily only has finite knowledge (because you can only prepare finite knowledge on a computer). therefore, there's always an n big enough sothat the computer does not yet know the n-th digit of the irrational number; therefore it is random from the computer's point of view.