The Future of Scientific Simulations: from Artificial Life to Artificial Cosmogenesis

TL;DR

This philosophical paper discusses the potential future of universe-scale scientific simulations, exploring how they could encompass biological, physical, and cultural evolution, and their implications for understanding cosmology and the nature of reality.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of simulating entire universes, combining philosophical analysis with scientific speculation on open-ended evolution and cosmological artificial creation.

Findings

Proposes that future science may enable universe-scale simulations.

Suggests such simulations could help understand cosmological phenomena.

Speculates on the implications of universe simulations for cosmology and existence.

Abstract

This philosophical paper explores the relation between modern scientific simulations and the future of the universe. We argue that a simulation of an entire universe will result from future scientific activity. This requires us to tackle the challenge of simulating open-ended evolution at all levels in a single simulation. The simulation should encompass not only biological evolution, but also physical evolution (a level below) and cultural evolution (a level above). The simulation would allow us to probe what would happen if we would "replay the tape of the universe" with the same or different laws and initial conditions. We also distinguish between real-world and artificial-world modelling. Assuming that intelligent life could indeed simulate an entire universe, this leads to two tentative hypotheses. Some authors have argued that we may already be in a simulation run by an intelligent entity. Or, if such a simulation could be made real, this would lead to the production of a new universe. This last direction is argued with a careful speculative philosophical approach, emphasizing the imperative to find a solution to the heat death problem in cosmology. The reader is invited to consult Annex 1 for an overview of the logical structure of this paper. -- Keywords: far future, future of science, ALife, simulation, realization, cosmology, heat death, fine-tuning, physical eschatology, cosmological natural selection, cosmological artificial selection, artificial cosmogenesis, selfish biocosm hypothesis, meduso-anthropic principle, developmental singularity hypothesis, role of intelligent life.