A former NASA scientist is on a quest to find out if our world is just a simulation. The idea might sound like something from a sci-fi movie, but Thomas Campbell, a physicist who once worked with NASA and the Department of Defense, believes it could be true.
The theory suggests that everything we experience, from our daily routines to surprising coincidences, might be controlled by something beyond our understanding—much like characters in a video game. In 2017, Campbell published a paper with experiments aimed at discovering whether our world is being simulated.
Campbell has now created a non-profit organization called the Center for the Unification of Science and Consciousness (CUSAC) to continue his research. Scientists at California State Polytechnic University (CalPoly) are helping to test Campbell's experiments.
CUSAC's website explains that one of its main goals is "to develop fundamental knowledge and understanding, of both the self and the evolving information system that appears to be the source of all reality, through rigorous scientific investigation of both physical reality and consciousness."
According to a press release from CUSAC, Campbell’s experiments are 'expected to provide strong scientific evidence that we live in a computer-simulated virtual reality'. He believes that our consciousness is not a product of the simulation but is essential to it, suggesting that the universe cannot exist without a player—us—at its center.
While this theory is intriguing, it will become even more fascinating if Campbell's experiments produce supporting evidence. He noted his five experiments could 'challenge the conventional understanding of reality and uncover profound connections between consciousness and the cosmos'.
The news about Campbell’s experiments has received mixed reactions. Some people think he might be onto something, while others are skeptical. On Reddit, one user pointed out: "If we were in a simulation, wouldn’t any tests to prove it turn up negative since the simulation would be programmed to falsify the results?" Another joked: "I wouldn’t even film myself sleeping to prove if I am haunted and you want me to find out if I live in a simulation?”
