Are we living in a computer simulation like The Matrix? A new law of physics I propose supports that idea

The simulated universe theory suggests that our universe, with all its galaxies, planets, and life forms, is a carefully programmed computer simulation. In this scenario, the physical laws governing our reality are simply algorithms. The experiences we have are created by extremely advanced system computing processes.

Despite its inherent assumptions, the simulated universe theory has attracted the attention of scientists and philosophers because of its intriguing implications. The idea has permeated popular culture in movies, TV shows and books, including the 1999 film The Matrix.

The earliest records of the concept of reality being an illusion are from ancient Greece. There, the question posed by Plato (427 BC) and others about the nature of our reality gave birth to idealism. Idealistic ancient thinkers such as Plato considered mind and spirit to be permanent realities. They claimed that matter was a mere manifestation or illusion.

Fast forward to modern times and idealism has evolved into a new philosophy. This is the idea that both the material world and consciousness are part of a simulated reality. This is simply a modern extension of idealism driven by recent technological advances in computing and digital technology. In both cases, the true nature of reality transcends the physical.

The idea of ​​a simulated universe has generated fascination and skepticism in the scientific community. Some scientists speculate that if our reality is a simulation, there may be faults or patterns within the fabric of the universe that indicate its simulated nature.

However, the search for such anomalies remains a challenge. Our understanding of the laws of physics is still evolving. Ultimately, we lack a definitive framework for distinguishing between simulated and non-simulated reality.

A new law of physics

If our physical reality is a simulated construct rather than an objective world that exists independently of the observer, how can we prove this scientifically? In the 2022 study, I proposed a possible experiment, but it remains untested today.

However, there is hope. Information theory is the mathematical study of the quantification, storage, and communication of information. Originally developed by the mathematician Claude Shannon, it has become increasingly popular in physics and is used in a growing range of research fields.

In my recent research, published in AIP Advances, I used information theory to propose a new law of physics that I call the second law of infodynamics. And most importantly, it seems to support the simulated universe theory.

At the core of the second law of infodynamics is the concept of entropy, a measure of disorder that always increases over time in an isolated system. When the cup of hot coffee is left on the table, after some time it will reach equilibrium, having the same temperature as the environment. The entropy of the system is at a maximum and the energy is at a minimum at this time.

The second law of infodynamics states that information entropy (the average amount of information transmitted through an event) must remain constant or decrease over time to a minimum value at equilibrium.

Thus, it completely contradicts the second law of thermodynamics (that heat always flows spontaneously from hot to cold regions of matter, while entropy increases). For cold coffee, this means that the spread of probabilities of locating a molecule in the liquid is reduced. This is because the dissipation of available energies decreases when there is thermal equilibrium. Thus, information entropy always decreases over time as entropy increases.

My research shows that the second law of infodynamics seems to be a cosmic necessity. It is universally applicable with enormous scientific implications. We know that the universe expands without losing or gaining heat, which requires the total entropy of the universe to be constant. However, we also know from thermodynamics that entropy always increases. I argue that this shows that there must be another entropy of information entropy to balance the growth.

My law can confirm how genetic information behaves. But it also shows that genetic mutations are at the most fundamental level, not just random events, as Darwin’s theory suggests. Instead, genetic mutations occur according to the second law of infodynamics, such that the information entropy of the genome is always minimized. The law can also explain the phenomena of atomic physics and the time evolution of digital data.

Most interestingly, this new law explains one of nature’s great mysteries. Why does symmetry, not asymmetry, dominate the universe? My research shows mathematically that high symmetry states are the preferred choice because such states correspond to the lowest information entropy. And, as the second law of infodynamics dictates, that’s what the system will naturally gravitate towards.

I believe this discovery has enormous implications for genetic research, evolutionary biology, genetic therapy, physics, mathematics, and cosmology, to name a few.

Modeling theory

The main consequence of the second law of infodynamics is the minimization of the information content associated with any event or process in the Universe. This in turn means optimizing the information content or compressing the data most efficiently.

Since the second law of infodynamics is a cosmic necessity and seems to apply equally everywhere, one can conclude that this indicates that the entire universe appears to be a simulated construct or a giant computer.

A super-complex universe like ours, if it were a simulation, would require built-in data optimization and compression to reduce the computing power and data storage requirements for running the simulation. This is exactly what we observe around us, including digital data, biological systems, mathematical symmetries, and the entire universe.

More research is needed before we can say definitively that the second law of infodynamics is as fundamental as the second law of thermodynamics. The same goes for the simulated universe hypothesis.

But if they both stand up to scrutiny, this may be the first time scientific evidence has been found to support this theory, as explored in my recent book.