# Simulation A **Simulation** is set of events that evolve via the strict [Intrinsic](Intrinsic.md) logic of a [Program](Program.md). This logic defines the "laws of physics" of the simulation. These "laws of physics" are just a set of [Rules](Computation%20is%20Following%20Rules.md). A simulation is entirely self contained, meaning it does not require [Extrinsic](Extrinsic.md) [Interpretation](Interpretation.md). If you want to "peak inside" the simulation, you can do so via an external viewing program. However, you will always be on the outside looking in! You are not [Intrinsic](Intrinsic.md) to the system[^1]. ## From: [Simulation, Consciousness, Existence](Simulation,%20Consciousness,%20Existence.pdf) A simulated world hosting a simulated person can be a closed self-contained entity. It might exist as a program on a computer processing data quietly in some dark corner, giving no external hint of the joys and pains, successes and frustrations of the person inside. Inside the simulation events unfold according to the strict logic of the program, which defines the “laws of physics” of the simulation. The inhabitant might, by patient experimentation and inference, deduce some representation of the simulation laws, but not the nature or even existence of the simulating computer. The simulation’s internal relationships would be the same if the program were running correctly on any of an endless variety of possible computers, slowly, quickly, intermittently, or even backwards and forwards in time, with the data stored as charges on chips, marks on a tape, or pulses in a delay line, with the simulation’s numbers represented in binary, decimal, or Roman numerals, compactly or spread widely across the machine. There is no limit, in principle, on how indirect the relationship between simulation and simulated can be. Today’s simulations, say of aircraft flight or the weather, are run to provide answers and images. They do so through additional programs that translate the simulation’s internal representations into forms convenient for external human observers. The need to interpret limits how radical a simulation’s hardware and software representations can be. Making them too different from the form of the answers may render the translation impractically slow and expensive. TODO - link: * [5 - Virtual Reality](5%20-%20Virtual%20Reality.md) * [6 - Universality and the Limits of Computation](6%20-%20Universality%20and%20the%20Limits%20of%20Computation.md) * [Computation](Computation.md) * [Autoverse](Autoverse.md) * [Permutation City](Permutation%20City.md) * [x.com](https://x.com/getjonwithit/status/1873135756849652142) * [Interpretation of Simulations](Interpretation%20of%20Simulations.md) simulations are physical processes carried out by physical objects (like computers). He rejects the notion of simulations as purely abstract or mathematical entities. * see more in chapter 6 (pg 126) ### Add Consider the "primality of 641" example. Is that an example of a computation that is simulating a primality testing algorithm? For instance, viewed reductively from a purely intrinsic perspective it may just look like dominos falling. But viewed extrinsically we know there is another interpretation: that it is a primality testing algorithm being instantiated by the dominos. Is this a type of simulation? Yes, the "primality of 641" example is indeed an example of a computation that is simulating a primality testing algorithm. Here's a breakdown of why this is the case, drawing on the sources and our conversation history: - **Reductive vs. Extrinsic Perspectives:** From a purely intrinsic perspective, the domino setup might just look like dominoes falling in a chain reaction. The physical interactions between dominoes, and the forces causing them to fall would be the only relevant properties of the dominoes. However, when viewed extrinsically, we understand that this physical system is designed to instantiate a primality testing algorithm. The dominoes have a particular arrangement and a particular set of rules that allow them to physically mimic the properties of an abstract algorithm. - **Instantiating Abstract Entities:** The domino computer is set up in such a way that the falling of the output domino depends on whether the input number (represented by a line of dominoes) is a prime number. The interactions between dominoes are designed to physically model the logical operations of a primality test. As a result, the falling of the output domino instantiates the abstract property of primality, where '641 is prime' is the best explanation for why that domino does or does not fall. The physical dominoes are therefore **modeling an abstract entity**, that is, the concept of prime numbers. - **Computation as Physical Modeling:** The sources define computation as a physical process that instantiates the properties of some abstract entity. In this case, the domino computer is a physical system (dominoes) that is used to model and demonstrate the abstract properties of numbers, specifically primality. The dominoes are arranged according to the rules of an algorithm and therefore, the physical process of the dominoes falling is a **computation that tests for primality**. - **Simulation and Abstraction:** The domino computer simulates the abstract process of testing for a prime number. It does not merely show the result (that 641 is prime), it demonstrates a process that mirrors the actual computational logic of a primality testing algorithm. This means it is more than just a physical process, it is a process that we know is designed to mimic a particular algorithm. The falling of the dominos therefore is not simply a chain reaction of falling dominos, but a **simulation** of a computation. - **Levels of Explanation:** The explanation that the output domino does not fall because 641 is prime is a higher-level, emergent explanation. It is not reducible to a description of the physical forces between the dominos. A purely reductive explanation might detail the physical laws of motion of each domino, but would fail to explain why this particular arrangement has the effect that it does. The emergent explanation relies on understanding that the physical system is **simulating an abstract computation**. - **Computation as a Bridge:** This example demonstrates how physical processes can be a window into the abstract. The dominoes, by their physical arrangement and behavior, provide insight into the abstract world of prime numbers and algorithms. The dominoes are a physical approximation of an abstract computation. It is an example of how an abstract computation can be modeled in the real world. It's a bridge between the concrete world of falling dominoes and the abstract world of mathematical ideas, and **the bridge is provided by the simulation**. - **Virtual Reality:** The domino computer is a kind of physical virtual reality generator which renders the abstract concept of primality. As a virtual reality generator, the domino computer is a real physical system that has the function of generating the experience of an abstract concept. By having the output domino fall, or not, the system is physically rendering the concept of primality. In this case, the user is not observing the rendering through senses, but through an understanding of how the system operates. In summary, the "primality of 641" domino example is a simulation because it is a physical system that is designed and arranged to perform a specific computation. It **models the abstract logic of a primality testing algorithm**, and its behavior requires an explanation that includes not just the physical properties of the dominoes, but also the abstract mathematical concept being tested. The fact that we can see an interpretation of the dominoes other than as just falling dominos, that is, as an instantiation of a primality testing algorithm, is what allows us to see it as a simulation. --- Date: 20241117 Links to: [Simulation, Consciousness, Existence](Simulation,%20Consciousness,%20Existence.pdf) Tags: References: * []() [^1]: This is explored in depth in the [Autoverse](Autoverse.md) of [Permutation City](Permutation%20City.md)