No doubt in my mind that we do. I believe that we do live in a simulated reality although the way it is created is likely more complex than we can really imagine. I've always had the feeling that a lot of things we see aren't real. I've never felt satisfied with just saying "This is all there is", I'm satisfied with saying "This is an illusion". To say things are simulated by computers to me isn't something I believe in when it comes to the universe. It may all just be a holographic representation of a non-physical concept reflecting off of something else, or it may be a biological computer, based on how the universe resembles the human mind and body. Could go even further, the universe may just be the brain of a higher level entity or something. Who knows.

So consciousness is a state where we know that we know that we know, to put it in very simple terms. And a lot more of course. But does that mean we would be able to know if we live inside a simulation? Or does that require us to be at yet another level of understanding that is even higher than having consciousness?

Is simulation a bad thing? Can we break free from it? If so, would it even be a reality similar to the simulation we are in?

We know that any kind of simulation we can produce would include lag. Meaning, it would be detectable by us, if we were forced without knowledge into a simulation. So I don't think we are living inside a man made simulation in our current universe. A dream would only be able to fool us for a few hours, before we know it isn't real. We are quite smart (not to brag).

4 hours ago, Starforce said:

No doubt in my mind that we do. I believe that we do live in a simulated reality although the way it is created is likely more complex than we can really imagine.

I believe that we make up everything that we see and do in our own minds. 

Moments ago, Sparklefan1234 said:

I believe that we make up everything that we see and do in our own minds. 

Part of me believes that as well. 

6 minutes ago, Starforce said:

Part of me believes that as well. 

I like to think of  life as a mirror where we only see things from our own perspective and we imagine everything that we hear

which, gives each individual person our own unique “life soundtrack”.

I agree with past abrony-mouse:

Quote

Consciousness is one of those things that will also always have non-physical meaning too because being conscious is such a significant thing to me - eg if I fall unconscious everything seems to cease to exist D: 

Fact is, non-human limited information processors are all around us (ie animals), but if we go and make superior information processors - which we probably can - then we might have to deal with something that is also terrified of ceasing to exist. Fortunately, the people who are trying to do this, don't have the right parameters yet... 

Tell me what is real...and what is not?

Yes and it does not matter.

The thing that matters most is what you can do in any reality rather than if its real or not.

On 2021-09-04 at 8:29 AM, Sparklefan1234 said:

I believe that we make up everything that we see and do in our own minds. 

Even other people? That would mean only I (or, from your perspective, only you) really exist. This kind of philosophical view is called solipsism.

On 2021-09-09 at 1:51 AM, 007FFF said:

Tell me what is real...and what is not?

I can't. As I wrote in one of my earlier comments in this blog, we can only choose a version of reality that we suppose is true. But we can't be sure of anything.

14 minutes ago, PawelS said:

Even other people? That would mean only I (or, from your perspective, only you) really exist. This kind of philosophical view is called solipsism.

Exactly. 

@PawelS *Sees second definition of solipsism* Mmm...