Interesting paper. But, contrary to the popular summary in the first link, it really only shows that simulations of certain quantum phenomena are impossible using classical computers (specifically, using the Quantum Monte Carlo method). But this is not really surprising—one area where quantum computers show much promise is in simulating quantum systems that are too difficult to simulate classically.
So, if the authors are right, we might still be living in a computer simulation, but it would have to be one running on a quantum computer.
True. A bit more generally, this paper relies on the simulating universe having similar physics to the simulated universe which, as far as I can see, is an unfounded assumption made because otherwise there would be nothing to discuss.
Yep. This could be because Nick Bostrom’s original simulation argument focuses on ancestor simulations, which pretty much implies that the simulating and simulated worlds are similar. However here, in question 11, Bostrom explains why he focused on ancestor simulations and states that the argument could be generalized to include simulations of worlds that are very different from the simulating world.
If the simulation-hypothesis is true, then we are living inside a computer, and whichever civilization built that computer is our “home” civilization by definition
and from this point of view the physics doesn’t have to match.
Yep, I agree. The second sentence of this comment’s grandparent was intended to support that conclusion, but my wording was sloppily ambiguous. I made a minor edit to it to (hopefully) remove the ambiguity.
Interesting paper. But, contrary to the popular summary in the first link, it really only shows that simulations of certain quantum phenomena are impossible using classical computers (specifically, using the Quantum Monte Carlo method). But this is not really surprising—one area where quantum computers show much promise is in simulating quantum systems that are too difficult to simulate classically.
So, if the authors are right, we might still be living in a computer simulation, but it would have to be one running on a quantum computer.
True. A bit more generally, this paper relies on the simulating universe having similar physics to the simulated universe which, as far as I can see, is an unfounded assumption made because otherwise there would be nothing to discuss.
Yep. This could be because Nick Bostrom’s original simulation argument focuses on ancestor simulations, which pretty much implies that the simulating and simulated worlds are similar. However here, in question 11, Bostrom explains why he focused on ancestor simulations and states that the argument could be generalized to include simulations of worlds that are very different from the simulating world.
Well… Bostrom says:
and from this point of view the physics doesn’t have to match.
Yep, I agree. The second sentence of this comment’s grandparent was intended to support that conclusion, but my wording was sloppily ambiguous. I made a minor edit to it to (hopefully) remove the ambiguity.