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	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Annelie Geissler
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Society & Social Sciences

THE SIMULATION HYPOTHESIS

Virk Rizwan

An MIT Computer Scientist Shows Why AI, Quantum Physics, and Eastern Mystics all Agree We Are in a Video Game

The definitive exploration of one of the most daring and consequential theories of our time, completely revised and updated to reflect the rapid advances in artificial intelligence and virtual reality

Are we living in a simulation? MIT computer scientist Rizwan Virk draws from research and concepts from computer science, artificial intelligence, video games, quantum physics, and ancient mystics to explain why we may be living inside a simulated reality like the Matrix. Simulation theory explains some of the biggest mysteries of quantum and relativistic physics, such as quantum indeterminacy, parallel universes, and the integral nature of the speed of light, using information and computation. Virk shows how the evolution of our video games, including virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, will lead us to a technological singularity. We will reach the simulation point, where we can develop all-encompassing virtual worlds like the OASIS in Ready Player One or The Matrixand in fact we are already likely inside such a simulation. While the idea sounds like science fiction, many scientists, engineers, and professors have given the simulation hypothesis serious consideration, including Elon Musk, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Nick Bostrom. But the simulation hypothesis is not just a modern idea. Philosophers of all traditions have long contended that we are living in some kind of "illusion" and that there are other realities that we can access with our minds. The Simulation Hypothesis is the definitive book on simulation theory and is now completely updated to reflect the latest developments in artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Whether you are a computer scientist, a fan of science fiction like the Matrix movies, a video game enthusiast, a spiritual seeker, or simply a fan of mind-bending thought experiments, you will never look at the world the same way again. A graduate of MIT and Stanford University, Rizwan Virk is a successful entrepreneur, video game pioneer, film producer, venture capitalist, and professor, and the bestselling author of The Simulation Hypothesis. Virk's video games, including Tap Fish and Penny Dreadful: Demimonde, have been played by millions. He was the founder of Play Labs @ MIT, a video game accelerator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and currently teaches at Arizona State University.

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Book Published 2025-07-22 by Tarcher Perigee

Comments

The Simulation Hypothesis by Riz Virk lays out both the technical aspects of computer simulation and the mystical reasons why we can take Philip K. Dick seriously when he proposed that we are living in a computer-generated reality. His vision that this world is not quite real informed much of his science fiction.

In The Simulation Hypothesis, Riz Virk takes current trends of immersion in video games and personalized entertainment to their logical conclusion: how to build a simulation as real as what we experience in daily life. While no one can say for certain how many lives we have, my advice is to the assume it's a "one-life game" and make the best of it!

Very few people could explain the history of video games, the mechanics of karma, and the implications of quantum physics in one book. Riz Virk is one of them, and his book is as adventurous as it is educational. You may never look at reality the same way again!

Rizwan Virk's book The Simulation Hypothesis is one of the few works that could convince me that I probably live in a simulated universe. Virk's breadth of knowledge encompasses the history of religions, philosophy, popular culture, modern physics and computer technology, drawing connections which show his theory is not only feasible but probably correct. As a scholar of religion, I was intrigued by Virk's compelling new answer to the age-old issue that all religions grapple with: the conundrum posed by materiality. If we understand that the universe is not material, but probably computational, then we can identify a bridge between mystical traditions and science. If this sounds mind blowing, it is! This book is also really funny and engaging, with references to popular culture and video games to keep the philosophy and science enjoyable. I highly recommend this bookit expanded my mind's bandwidth!

The Simulation Hypothesis presents a radical alternative to current models of reality. Recent speculation in physics shows us that the world we perceive may be an emerging entity produced by an underlying pattern inaccessible to our senses. Many fields rejected or neglected by modern science, such as religious visions, near-death experiences, psychic phenomena and even UFOs, can be brought under the framework proposed by Riz Virk, relying on the latest insights of computer science and on his unique experience designing digital games. The result is a stunning reappraisal of what it means to be human in an infinite universe.

The idea that we might be in a simulation is one of the most interesting and provocative around. The book that Riz Virk has written is important, because it engages, with seriousness and depth, the idea that everything around us is a simulation. Virk's credentials make him the right person for the job. Whatever you think of the core idea, this book will make you think again?and that is why Virk's book deserves our attention.

I have learned that we live, teach, learn and love in a virtual world. In this book, Riz Virk combines the mind of a scientist with the heart of a mystic, using video games to explain the virtual reality that we live in.

In this brilliant integrative work, Riz Virk astutely tackles ideas ranging from Dream Yoga to computational irreducibility, weaving together modern disciplines and ancient traditions. Virk presents a model of a multiplayer game that can integrate philosophical notions from materialism to mysticism. As for the physics, he is refreshingly not afraid to be clear eyed about the mind-boggling implications. He also maps for us a road toward a future Simulation Point when we will be able to create, as an advanced civilization, our own Great Simulation. This trans-disciplinary overview of The Simulation Hypothesis is a valuable read.

The Simulation Hypothesis provides a deft and knowledgeable blend of video game history, hard science speculation, and science fiction references. Whether or not you believe we all exist in a simulation, I found it both fascinating and entertaining.

Those looking to expand their brains for a few hours should enjoy this cerebral work. A well-crafted discussion of simulation that is unexpectedly persuasive.

Riz Virk's book gives both a history of video games and a roadmap on how to build the most sophisticated game of all: The Great Simulation, which would be our version of the Holodeck from Star Trek. Very few technologists can also dive into the philosophical questions that come from the development of AI and high-resolution imagery that would be needed. The Simulation Hypothesis is a fascinating read for any technologist who wonders what the future may hold.