Ask HN: Why do half of Internet users think we are living in a simulation?

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Belief that we might be living in a simulation is framed as a mix of philosophical thought experiment, tech-driven trend, and quasi-religious idea about hidden higher realities. Commenters revisit arguments like Bostrom’s probability logic and quantum “weirdness,” but many counter with physics-based objections, unfalsifiability, and the lack of clear incentives or resources for advanced civilizations to run such simulations at scale. Several point out that polling on this topic is inherently noisy and that, in practice, the idea currently functions more as entertainment, metaphor, or psychological comfort than as a testable claim about reality.

Why People Believe in a Simulation

  • Many see simulation belief as similar to religion: humans readily accept explanations without evidence and are drawn to “hidden realities” beyond perception.
  • Some find the idea comforting (problems aren’t ultimately “real”; maybe there’s a fairer underlying reality).
  • Others see it as trendy/edgy, a tech-flavored replacement for traditional theologies.

Simulation Argument & Counterarguments

  • Classic argument:
    • If high-fidelity simulations of conscious beings are possible and cheap, many will be run.
    • Then most conscious observers are in simulations, so it’s likelier we are simulated.
  • Critics question:
    • Why assume “unbounded” numbers of simulations?
    • Why assume advanced civilizations want to run many?
    • Why treat “possibility” as “probable” without evidence on costs, incentives, or distributions?

Physics, Information, and Feasibility

  • One line of critique uses finite information capacity: space can only hold so much information before forming black holes, limiting how many and how detailed simulations can be.
  • Others reply:
    • The “host” universe might have very different physical laws.
    • Simulations can be optimized: low detail far away, sparse representation, compression, only simulating what’s observed, etc.
  • Some note that our universe already looks “informational” or discretized, but this is not conclusive.

Falsifiability and Meaningfulness

  • Several argue the hypothesis is currently unfalsifiable and thus more a thought experiment than a scientific claim.
  • Others ask if any detectable artifacts (precision limits, stochastic behaviors, quantum oddities) could someday serve as tests, but see no present concrete predictions.
  • Some maintain that if there were no possible way to detect it, the distinction between “real” and “simulated” becomes meaningless.

Polls, Definitions, and Attitudes

  • Skepticism about “half of internet users” believing this:
    • Self-selected samples, unclear uniqueness of respondents, and people treating it as a joke or vibe rather than literal belief.
  • “Simulation” is used very broadly: from Matrix-style computer worlds to any rule-governed universe or even “society as simulation.”
  • Several treat it mainly as an entertaining philosophical or technical puzzle, not a serious belief guiding behavior.