Life in the virtual world. Why won't you change anything? Virtual life
Humanity today has gone so deep into high technologies and virtual reality that the first assumptions appeared (not from ordinary people, but from well-known physicists and cosmologists) that our Universe is not reality, but just a gigantic simulation of reality. Should we think about it seriously, or should we take such messages as another plot of a science fiction film?
You are real? What about me?
Once upon a time these were questions of a purely philosophical nature. Scientists were just trying to figure out how the world works. But now inquiries from inquisitive minds have gone to a different plane. Whole line physicists, cosmologists and technologists console themselves with the thought that we all live inside a giant computer model, being nothing more than a part of the matrix. It turns out that we exist in virtual world, which we mistakenly believe to be real.
Our instincts, of course, rebel. This is all too real to be a simulation. The weight of a cup in my hand, the aroma of coffee, the sounds around me - how can such a wealth of experience be faked?
But at the same time, there is extraordinary progress in the field of informatics and information technologies over the past few decades. Computers have given us games with supernatural realism, with autonomous characters that react to our actions. And we unwittingly plunge into virtual reality - a kind of simulator with tremendous power of persuasion.
This is enough to make a person paranoid. 
In life - like in the movies
The idea of the virtual world as a human habitat was presented to us with unprecedented clarity by the Hollywood blockbuster "The Matrix". In this story, people are trapped in the virtual world so much that they perceive it as reality. The sci-fi nightmare - the prospect of being trapped in a universe born in our minds - can be traced further, for example, in the films Videodrome by David Cronenberg (1983) and Brazil by Terry Gilliam (1985).
All these dystopias gave rise to a number of questions: what is true and what is fiction? Are we living in delusion, or delusion - a virtual universe, the idea of which is imposed by paranoid science? 
In June 2016, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk said the odds are "billion to one" against us living in "basic reality."
Following him the guru artificial intelligence Ray Kurzweil suggested that "maybe our whole universe is a scientific experiment of some young schoolboy from another universe."
By the way, some physicists are ready to consider this possibility. In April 2016, the issue was discussed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Proof?
Adherents of the idea of a virtual universe give at least two reasons in favor of the fact that we cannot live in the real world. So, cosmologist Alan Guth suggests that our Universe may be real, but so far it is something like a laboratory experiment. The idea is that it was created by some kind of superintelligence, similar to how biologists grow colonies of microorganisms.
Basically, there is nothing that precludes the possibility of "making" the universe with an artificial Big Bang, says Guth. At the same time, the Universe in which the new one was born was not destroyed. A new "bubble" of space-time was simply created, which could be pinched off from the mother universe and lost contact with it. This scenario could have some variations. For example, the universe could be born in some kind of test tube equivalent. 
However, there is a second scenario that can nullify all our ideas about reality.
It lies in the fact that we are fully modeled beings. We can be nothing more than lines of information that are manipulated by a giant computer program like characters in a video game. Even our brains mimic and respond to simulated sensory inputs.
From this point of view, there is no "escape from" matrix. This is where we live, and this is our only chance to "live" at all.
But why believe in such a possibility?
The argument is simple enough: we've already done the simulation. We carry out computer modeling not only in games, but also in scientific research... Scientists are trying to simulate aspects of the world on different levels- from subatomic to entire societies or galaxies.
For example, computer modeling of animals can tell how they develop, what forms of behavior they have. Other simulations help us understand how planets, stars and galaxies are formed. 
We can also imitate human society with fairly simple "agents" who make choices according to certain rules. It gives us an understanding of how cooperation between people and companies happens, how cities develop, how rules function. road traffic and the economy, and much more.
These models are becoming more and more complex. Who's to say that we cannot create virtual beings that show signs of consciousness? Advances in understanding the functions of the brain, as well as extensive quantum computing, make this prospect all the more likely.
If we ever reach this level, a huge number of models will work for us. There will be much more of them than the inhabitants of the "real" world around us.
And why can't we assume that some other intelligence in the universe has already reached this point?
The idea of the multiverse
No one denies the existence of many universes, formed by the same way of the Big Bang. However, parallel universes are a rather speculative idea, suggesting that our universe is just a model, the parameters of which have been modified to give interesting results such as stars, galaxies and people.
So we got to the heart of the matter. If reality is just information, then we cannot be "real" either, information is all that we can be. And is there a difference whether this information was programmed by nature or a superintelligent creator? Apparently, in any case, our authors can, in principle, interfere with the simulation results or even "turn off" the process. How should we feel about this?
And yet back to our reality
Of course, we love the cosmologist Kurzweil's joke about that genius teenager from another universe who programmed our world. And most adherents of the idea of virtual reality proceed from the fact that now is the 21st century, we are doing computer games, and not the fact that someone does not make super beings.
There is no doubt that many proponents of "universal modeling" are avid fans of science fiction films. But we know deep down that the concept of reality is what we experience, and not some hypothetical world. 
Old as the world
Today is the age of high technologies. However, philosophers have fought over the issues of reality and unreality for centuries.
Plato wondered: what if what we perceive as reality are just shadows projected onto the walls of the cave? Immanuel Kant argued that the world around can be some kind of "thing in itself" that underlies the appearances we perceive. Rene Descartes his famous phrase"I think, therefore I am" proved that the ability to think is the only significant criterion of existence that we can testify.
The concept of a "simulated world" takes this ancient philosophical idea as its basis. There is no harm in the latest technologies and hypotheses. Like many philosophical riddles, they prompt us to rethink our assumptions and biases.
But so far no one can prove that we exist only virtually, no latest ideas do not change our understanding of reality to a large extent.
In the early 1700s, philosopher George Berkeley argued that the world is just an illusion. In response, the English writer Samuel Johnson exclaimed: "I refute it like this!" - and kicked the stone.
The real world is represented by the material component in human life. And the man himself, 
first of all, it is material, because it is born only with the needs of the body. Although this statement can be doubted, tk. emotional experiences - an invisible virtual entity, inherent in the baby.
Virtual life is the possibilities of wireless contact, it is the release of your opinion, your thoughts, your feelings, your dreams into the infinite space.
Nowadays the virtual world is associated mainly with activities on the Internet. But the inner morality of a person, and his mental and emotional life also has a virtual essence.
It is with this varying degree of inharmony in development that the imbalance of the interests of a person and his behavior begins.
Both of them evoke sympathy.
Virtual life on the Internet and filled the funnel of emptiness, in those people who live a rich mental and 
emotional life, because the overcrowding of their consciousness requires an exit. Understanding is required both for those people who have conceived a business project, and for the humanities - people of art and philosophy, and people engaged in science, and people who have fallen into a psychological bondage - everyone who left the zone of psychological comfort on their own or not of their own free will.
Virtual communication has even increased sensitivity nervous system person. Many can feel the energy of the virtual interlocutor. And this is also a significant step in the development of the person himself.
The Internet absorbed all thoughts, feelings, spiritual impulses, scattered them across the planet and helped establish new connections, acquaintances, business contacts, and then set in motion the material basis of a person's life - his movement, movement of financial flows, trade parties, etc. significant, versatile and numerous. This speaks to how long and strong the grip of the real world was, where not too much attention was paid to the virtual invisible life of a person. This suggests that a person's capabilities in terms of self-realization have now increased significantly.
Yes, it is impossible to assert that matter or consciousness is primary. They are so interconnected.
Of course, virtuality - feelings, for example, are inherent in a plant, and even more so in an animal. But, even if a person descended from a monkey, he still must develop in the direction of the priority invisible life of the mind and heart.
In general, life, both in the real and in the virtual world, is exciting, endless in knowledge and full of wonders. Future human discoveries will still give us amazing opportunities and joys of being. It is imperative to take part in them!
Get acquainted with a selection of interesting articles on the topic, as well as for deepening in a question of interest to you.
What do you think on this topic?
What statements seemed controversial to you?
Why is communication between people gradually turning from real to virtual? Communicating using a computer is much easier. The virtual world and communication on the Internet has become so popular that many people sometimes forget about real communication. A real meeting puts people in a certain framework, obliges them to direct emotional contact, and the Network is always at hand.
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Photo gallery: The virtual world and communication on the Internet
I pressed a couple of keys - and you are already in the center of communication. If you want to confirm your importance, you opened a page in Odnoklassniki, looked at how many people visited it, and made sure of your own relevance. In addition, just sitting and working (if the profession is connected with a computer) is boring, and in order to structure time, people go to the virtual world and communicate on the Internet, where it is always safe, there are no obligations, you can think of yourself as anyone, powder the brains of others, and even get an emotional drive from it.
What are the pitfalls of the Internet?
The World Wide Web of the virtual world and communication on the Internet delays and causes almost drug addiction among its users. People have an obsessive desire to enter the Internet, but once in it, a person does not find the strength to leave web pages. There are two main forms of the virtual world and communication on the Internet: chat addiction - from communication in chats, forums, teleconferences, e-mail. And web addiction - from new doses of information (virtual surfing on sites, portals, etc.). Still, most internet addicts are addicted to communication services. According to statistics, the most tempting characteristics of such contacts are: anonymity (86%), accessibility (63%), security (58%) and ease of use (37%). Such a network is needed to receive social support, sexual satisfaction, the possibility of creating a virtual hero (creating a new self).
What is the essence of information addiction?
It is also called web addiction. Usually people associated with the processing and search of information (journalists are the first in the risk group) get sick with it. They feel a constant shortage of news, discomfort from the realization that at this moment something is happening somewhere, and they are not in the know. The understanding that it is impossible to grasp everything disappears. Intellect has no limit: after one thought comes another, a third ... To stop in time, you need to have in the middle what is called a cumulative sting - an alloy of willpower, spirit and purpose. It is formed in any activity. It is the ability to gather in the right moment, concentrate and direct all forces towards the implementation of a certain task. Information, on the other hand, scatters attention, the sense of time is lost, chewing gum is thrown to the brain, which it mechanically chews. So that information does not ultimately destroy consciousness, a mosaic of perception is necessary. I read a certain idea, was inspired by it and realized it. You should not process all thoughts in a row, but only those that you like. And, if possible, bring them to life, and not just scroll through your head.
A person needs to be assessed from the outside, to receive confirmation whether he is following his life correctly, comparing himself with others. In the social network, the user starts his personal page - a beautiful picture - self-presentation. Children, husbands, rest are paraded, wishes, congratulations, poems are written to each other, estimates are collected, proofs of their beauty and happy life... Thus, the need for self-validation is satisfied. However, communication in social networks- symbolic. Few people respond to the offer of a real meeting, and if a meeting does take place, it often turns out to be not as bright and beautiful as in the virtual world.
How does online communication differ from the present?
What are the signs of internet addiction?
Most eloquent: obsessive desire to test their email, ignoring physiological needs for the sake of virtual surfing (forgot to eat, go to the toilet), staying on the Web much longer than the time that was originally planned (I wanted to go in for half an hour, but stayed for two). Experienced computer addicts forget about their family, friendships, and official duties. Consequences - divorce, dismissal from work, academic failure. Leaving the Internet for a short time, they experience a kind of "hangover" - an extremely dense stream of consciousness and a feeling of anxiety, an irresistible desire to get back into the virtual world and communicate on the Internet.
What mental disorders can provoke the virtual world and communication on the Internet?
An adult person seems to be like a seven-year-old child who wants to get what he wants this minute. Another popular mental disorder is Munchausen syndrome. It is based on the simulation of illness in order to attract attention and sympathy. Since no one on the Internet will ask you for a medical card, pretending to be a sick person is as easy as shelling pears.
Who is most at risk of becoming a computer addict?
How does the virtual world affect children's health and psyche?
A child under 7-10 years old must develop physically — in play, movement. After a ten-year milestone, the body's forces are concentrated on the development of metabolism, heart, lungs, and other important organs. And only after 14 years the acceptance is shifted to spirituality. Small children chained to a monitor are static. Instead of physical progress at this age, there is an intellectual load - as a result, modern children age early. At the age of 13-14, vascular hardening, atherosclerosis and early cancers already appear today. At ten years old, a child can master three languages and the basics of computer programming, but does not pass a trivial test for physical development: walk exactly one floorboard and hit the target with the ball.
The virtual world and communication on the Internet are credited with a lot of merit as a means of learning and expanding horizons. Perhaps with the right dosage, it can help raise children with supernormal abilities?
Parents are moved to watch their three-year-old child use a laptop. In fact, all these skills are formed on a superficial level and will not be useful in any way in adulthood. It is easier for adults to put a child at a computer and take some time than to form other values in it. The idea that the computer develops and is necessary for the school is nothing more than self-justification.
USA conducted an experiment: children from the age of 5 were taught externally, and by the age of 12 they completed a full course of secondary education. Their lives were followed for many years. It turned out that not one of them had a fate: intellectually they were brilliant, but the strong-willed and emotional components were absent. They did not know who they were or what they wanted. After all, talent is 99% labor and the ability to organize oneself, and only 1% depends on abilities.
Is it possible to deduce the rules of a safe behavior for children at the computer?
Until the age of 10, a child lives in unity with the world, for him the authority of his parents is absolute. After ten, children begin to separate themselves from the world around them, wonder if everything is so good in this life, wonder: what is the past, what is the future. This is the age when you can use a computer. The correct dosage is no more than two hours a day: forty-five minutes at the computer, then a break for rest. You cannot use the computer as a means of reward. It is important not to shout, not to turn off the equipment from the network, but to develop self-control in the child. Set the alarm clock for a certain time and put it next to it - this way the young user will have a sense of responsibility for their actions. Often the parents themselves create dependence on the computer. After all, how does a young family spend their free time nowadays: the father plays some kind of "shooter", and the mother communicates with her friends in Odnoklassniki. What is left for the child? Also sit down at the computer.
What are the problems with women's health can turn into a passion for the computer, the virtual world and communication on the Internet?
Infertility and miscarriages are companions of women chained to the monitor. Physical inactivity plus congestion in the pelvic area open the gates to all kinds of inflammation. Often information from the Web causes neuroses in women, especially for young mothers who are looking for all the answers to their questions on the Internet. Today, all kinds of "mothers" forums are popular, where other, equally unenlightened mothers (it would be useful for some to check the state of their mental health) anonymously give advice to their "colleagues". Selected recommendations resemble dangerous experiments on their own children. Many anonymous people intimidate gullible interlocutors, putting their children in absentia terrible diagnoses... Moms begin to wind themselves up, a massive neurosis is formed.
Popular today virtual internet consultations. Without leaving your computer, you can find out your diagnosis, get detailed description treatment and immediately order medicines from the online pharmacy. How safe are these diagnostic and treatment methods? Today, a new type of Internet users has appeared - cyberchondriacs - these are ardent fans of the Internet, collecting expert advice on their health from almost all over the Earth. They are confident in the existence of terrible diseases, which are no more than a figment of their imagination.
What criteria can be used to distinguish an Internet resource from the dubious who can be trusted?
There are several signs or "stop words" that an unscrupulous medical Internet resource can give out. This is everything that is connected with “energy-informational content” - information matrices, water, aura, biofield, wave genome, astral projections, bioresonance or “diagnostics of 40 doctors in half an hour”, removal of toxins and everything connected with them.
Today the Internet gives ample opportunities those looking for a second half. A lot of dating sites offer partners for every taste and color. How is the virtual search for your love different from the real one?
Correspondence can be encouraging, they say, here he is - the one and only. But meeting in real life often ends in disappointment. But on the Internet, these are just words that stand for nothing. The exchange of energies, attempts to understand oneself, others and this world - they are untenable in correspondence communication. If in life a person with all his essence speaks of love, then on the Internet these are just letters and symbols.
What gaps in life are we compensating for by going into virtuality?
To feel the fullness of being, a person must manifest in several areas of life. In creation, work - a kind of constructive activity for the benefit of others, in taking care of the body, which improves and pays a hundredfold for being healthy and doing it. In spirituality - the personality that we acquire, the meanings we create, biographies. In communication with other people, which enriches and gives feedback: you live, you are recognized. And if we did not make this communication real, did not invest our emotions, our care in someone, we are left alone with our fear of death. Because before you die, it is no longer important what doctoral dissertations you wrote, it is important who will be with you so that you do not feel lonely.
How to get rid of virtual addiction?
Life is organized on the energy balance “take-give”. On the Internet, we donate our energy to no one knows where and why. The net sucks it out like a sponge. Life force it is given to us by emotions, but not superficial, but aimed at acting. And emotions depend on the mood: "there are three of us." The child of the mood needs to get together, add up our emotions, come up with some idea and get a fountain of energy for its implementation. A person is able to throw himself into other spheres of life, where there will be a lot of emotions, and he simply will not remember about the computer. Energy is buried in real deeds, real action and real connections. And the Internet can become an assistant in their search. Use the virtual world as a tool to expand your interests in real life (met - met). Nothing can replace the luxury of communication for us, but not virtual, but real.
Until recently, computers were a luxury that few could afford. Now a computer can have, if not all, then quite a lot. The Internet has poured into our life in a strong wave, knocking down those unprepared for the problems it has brought us. Communication, work, dating, leisure and even sex on the Internet have become commonplace. Not many of the users of the World Wide Web will now be able to abandon it. On this basis, the question arises: is virtual life addictive and how dangerous is it for a person?
What is it that attracts ordinary people to virtual life? The answer is simple: the failure of a person in real life, a feeling of his uselessness and loneliness. Creating a certain image for himself on the Internet that he would like, but for some reason could not, create in real life, a person experiences satisfaction from communication, games, blogs, websites, etc. He puts on the mask of the person he is not could become in real life. No, of course, Internet users are not all like that. Few see the Internet only as leisure time and prefer virtual communication, real. Those who, for some reason, cannot, or are not able to "make" themselves in real life, easily do it in the virtual world. After all, it is much easier and more convenient for them. An ugly person, can become handsome, modest, who has never allowed himself to meet in real life, can become macho, an elderly person can become young again. Subsequently, few can get out of the virtual web as they get used to the image they have created, get used to the role, and find like-minded people. The Internet gives such people exactly what they want: mutual understanding, communication and even virtual love. Gradually, a person moves away from real life, where, as he believes, what he found in virtual life is not. Trouble at work, in the family, addiction - this is what awaits people who have changed their real life to a virtual one.
A new generation of youth that is growing is more influenced by the Internet due to the emergence of numerous Internet games. After all, what child, and often an adult, would refuse to play? The number of people playing on the Internet is growing like mushrooms after rain. What are Internet games designed for? Of course, to receive income from the player, by involving the player's real funds in the game. But how to get a person to invest money in the game? It is not necessary to force anyone, the person himself will give the money for the desire to continue the game he loves. Often these are colossal amounts of up to a million rubles! And sometimes investing real money in the game only aggravates the situation. Then the player is simply sorry to quit the game because of the funds that he invested in it. Sometimes the game so captivates a person that a person does not notice the troubles arising in him associated with it. Trouble at school, at work, in the family, feeling unwell due to constant lack of sleep. Soon, the person will be more like a zombie, constantly sitting near the computer, completely.
It is worth considering, do you need it? Can you get out of the great web and overcome your virtual addiction? Will you just spend leisure time with friends or dive into this world with your head? After all, in every person lives exactly the person you want to be. And the easy at first glance path of acquaintance or friendship, play or love, later can lead you to a dead end, from which no one will help you find a way out. It is not for nothing that the world that the Internet gives us is called virtual, because it is not real, but just a decoration. Behind this decoration is not this, every day is new, the world, with its beauty and unknown. Or maybe you should delete game accounts, chats, magazines, turn off your computer and just try to see all the beauty and uniqueness of this life? You decide.
