What is the professional term for someone who believes that the world we live in is a simulation?

Question

If someone believed that we exist within a simulated enviroment, perhaps on some supercomputer in a different world, how would that person be classified professionally?

Note that I'm not interested in a -phobia (unless one explicitly defines this belief), I'm looking for something along the lines of -iac (as in hypochondriac) or -ive (as in compulsive).

Based on what I've read thus far, I've concluded that a person with these beliefs should be called a "simulist". It's not as far out there as one would think. The most logical explanation I've read goes like this;

I'm sure most people would agree that, maybe in 100 years, maybe 5,000 years... maybe even more, humans will be able to create artificial worlds that mimic our ancestry, and the world they lived in. In those simulations, our technology that we would have would be so great as to give these humans in the simulations conscious thought. To them (humans), it would be a world they thought was real. Consider that there would be thousands of these simulations of our ancestral world. If the tech could ever exist to create these worlds, it would be in the future and we would of course create them, of our past. The conclusion is; if we do not exist in a simulation right now, we'll never have the capacity to build them, unless we are the original humans, a one in thousands chance.

Answer 1

Those symptoms, if they are really what a person believes in despite obvious evidence to the contrary, could point to a delusional disorder, or paranoid schizophrenia. If his/her reasoning and reality-testing ability are more intact, it might just be part of the manifestations of a schizotypal personality.

Answer 2

Not sure but take a look around here and similar sites about the theory and it might be mentioned?

http://www.simulism.org/Main_Page

or the wikipedia page. I have skimmed some of them but i'll keep looking for you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulated_reality

Good question, I know what you're talking about but never thought about it before. I don't think the theory is accepted/known enough to have a proper name though, but I could be wrong.

For the record this idea came about long before it was popularised by the films drummerboy. Although I'm not sure when it was first mentioned, HEY! someone answer that too lol


edit: I personally think it's very believable. Nothing to do with avoiding responsibilty or being schizo (?!)
It is really logical.
Look at what I read here for example- http://www.simulism.org/The_Increasing_Simulation#Evidence_for_an_increasing_simulation
Suggesting that if we were simulated then maybe the world WAS once flat, as the "game" or simulation got better things got more detailed like the earth changed from flat to round. That's pretty out there but the simulation idea in general is not that weird to think about.
That's what happened in very early computer games. Racing games for example, the cars were very slow, box-like, the scenery would only appear as you were in it. Now the cars are extremely fast, looking more and more realistic, you can change the paint and look of the car, change GEARS, you can see right ahead into the the scenery and and see skid marks on the road etc etc. Before the trees and such would appear only as you passed them.

Maybe that's why we started out "years" ago as cavemen with very little skills and life gradually got more complicated?


It would explain why there's no aparent meaning for life. Why there are certain "rules" like the laws of physics or that SO many things work out or follow math. The golden ratio for example.
There are so many seemingly random things that could be explained if we were a simulation and there was no god or person with a conscience or certain influences overseeing us.

Look here, if you don't know of it you might find it interesting and I think this game ALONE (it is The Sims, but very detailed) is good enough proof that this kind of thing is possible and we could be a simulation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spore_%28video_game%29

Answer 3

Ahh, another Matrix fan, huh? LOL. But seriously, a person who honestly believed they lived in a computer-simulated environment would be termed as delusional, with a probably diagnoses as "schizo-affective." (pronounced: skeezo-affective.) This means they have symptoms, or "affects" that are also found in schizophrenia, but still were capable of managing their life and functioning in society. Another blanket term we like to use is "Psychosis NOS" which means "not otherwise specified." This is a blanket diagnosis that indicates strong delusions that don't quite fit any other dx's (diagnoses.)

Answer 4

Yes there are reports that we are in fact just full brain and nervous systems in glass tubes on board a spacecraft in the outer rim. Delusional schizophrenia with multiple inputs?

Answer 5

I don't know but would love to know! I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks are actions are controlled by some one or something else!

Answer 6

i'll wait for the answer as well. it's so strange to me that people feel this way. maybe it's an escape from personal responsibility?