Stop asking if the universe is a computer simulation

不要再问宇宙是否是一个计算机模拟了

We will never know if we live in a computer simulation; here is a more interesting question

我们永远不会知道自己是否生活在计算机模拟中——这是有一个更有趣的问题

The notion that we live as characters in someone else’s video game is irresistible to many, even outside of science fiction bookshelves.

许多人都无法抗拒这样一个观点，即我们生活在别人的游戏中，即使在科幻小说以外的领域也是如此。

Googling the term “simulation hypothesis” returns numerous results that debate whether the universe is a computer simulation—a concept that some scientists actually take seriously. ***

在谷歌上搜索 “simulation hypothesis(模拟假说) ”一词，会出现大量关于宇宙是否是计算机模拟的辩论——一些科学家确实认真对待这一概念。

Since a pivotal 2016 debate at the American Museum of Natural History, the idea has bounced from the scientific realm to the sphere of pop culture.

自 2016 年美国自然历史博物馆的一场关键辩论以来，这一观点已经从科学领域传播到了流行文化领域。

Unfortunately, this is not a scientific question; there is no objective way to test it.

遗憾的是，这不是一个科学问题，没有客观的方法来检验它。

We will probably never know if it’s true and by focusing too much on this hypothesis, we are wasting time.

我们可能永远都不会知道它是否是真的，而过多关注这个假设只会浪费时间。

Modern neuroscience and cognitive science have revealed that our perceptual experience of the world is the result of many stages of processing by sensory systems and cognitive functions in the brain. ***