Science and science fiction writer Matt Williams has been writing a series at Universe Today on why the extraterrestrial intelligences that many believe must exist in our universe never show up. Last week, we looked at the Prime Directive hypothesis (The Directive is, don’t interfere in the evolution of alien societies, even if you have good intentions.”)
This week, let’s look at the Planetarium hypothesis, the sixth in his series: “humanity is in a simulation, and the aliens are the ones running it! In order to ensure that human beings do not become aware of this fact, they ensure that the simulation presents us with a “Great Silence” whenever we look out and listen to the depths of space.” (August 27, 2020)
“Planetarium” sounds like “terrarium,” where we keep lizards in an artificial environment in which they can survive. But we, of course, are really doing all that “nature” for them and they don’t even know it. One might add, they can’t know it. We couldn’t explain anything to a gecko. That isn’t where the gecko lives.
Here’s a TED Ed argument for the idea that we might be living in a simulation:
To read more and view the video, click here.