Closed Loop Simulation as a Human Created Replay of History
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This paper presents a conceptual thought experiment exploring the possibility that humanity might one day create a closed loop simulation to replay its own history. In this scenario, an advanced future civilization constructs a high fidelity simulation of the past and re-enters it, with participants’ memories of the outside reality suppressed to ensure authenticity. We examine this idea from technical, physical, and philosophical perspectives. Potential mechanisms for such a simulation are discussed, including the use of quantum computing and nanoparticle-based “computronium” matter to achieve the enormous computational power required. We consider how known physics phenomena; quantum indeterminacy, relativistic limits, and information theory; could manifest in or even enable a simulated universe. Possible observable indicators of living in such a simulation are reviewed, alongside the broader implications for free will, ethics, and the nature of reality. Counterarguments and limitations of the closed loop simulation hypothesis are also addressed. While firmly theoretical, this exploration connects advances in quantum mechanics and nanotechnology with enduring questions about consciousness and cosmology, offering a rigorous framework for contemplating the ultimate origins of our perceived reality.
Author: Thornton, Owen R
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6968670845
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: