# Simulations Role in Knowledge Creation all new knowledge is created via virtual reality and interaction with the physical world. No new knowledge can be created without virtual reality. New knowledge depends on conjecture, explanation, and criticism. This clearly depends on virtual reality. Conjecture is a form of thought and thought is based on virtual reality. If knowledge is primarily created via conjecture, wouldn't it be correct to say that knowledge is created via virtual reality Criticism is also performed by virtual reality. Consider the grass cure theory. I criticize that theory in my mind with my imagination - i.e. virtual reality. Observation can also play the role of criticism. Say I test a theory and see that there is a short coming. Well, that still requires that I _interpret_ the observation - all observations are theory laden. And thus my criticism is still based on virtual reality. Maybe a more correct way to word what I am getting at is "all new knowledge is created via virtual reality and interaction with the physical world. No new knowledge can be created _without_ virtual reality" This also holds in evolution - see [8 - The Significance of Life](8%20-%20The%20Significance%20of%20Life.md) Okay now what makes something a simulation and not just a computation? I would argue two things: 1) simulation requires a target - something that it is trying to simulate. Put another way, a true simulation has a goal or an objective. To try and accurately represent something else. 2) Something is a simulation if our best explanation says it is. With that said, I would guess that most computation meets this definition of a simulation. For instance, imagine the computation 2 + 2 = 4. This at first may feel like the most basic computation possible. However, it is actually simulating something - namely, the abstract concept of addition of two natural numbers. See whiteboard: [Google Photos](https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNoX8lV--R0ny7lUugdzJnZEmV8ucujiATylBhR) simulations can also provide consequences --- Date: 20250120 Links to: Tags: References: * []()