About & FAQ
The Center for the Unification of Science and Consciousness (CUSAC) is a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation set up by physicist Tom Campbell with the express purpose of experimentally verifying the simulation hypothesis using wave/particle duality methodologies outlined in the peer-review paper 'On Testing the Simulation Theory' published in International Journal of Quantum Foundations.
Make a tax-deductible donation to CUSAC and help us get to the bottom of the most pressing question in science and philosophy today: "Are we living in a computer simulation?"
Below, you'll find some frequently asked questions. If you don't find the answer you're looking for, try visiting Tom Campbell's official website for an Overview of his MBT model, or visit CUSAC. You can also read our Press Release.
What hypothesis?
The hypothesis we are referring to is the Simulation Hypothesis. Popularized by movies like The Matrix and the philosopher Nick Bostrom, it’s simply the idea that we are living in a computed virtual reality. Rather than science fiction, the Simulation Hypothesis is taken seriously by an increasing number of the world’s leading physicists as a candidate for the best explanation of reality. This is because, as computer scientist Brian Whitworth has noted, the Simulation Hypothesis seems to offer an elegant explanation for many (if not all) of the paradoxes and hard problems that modern physics currently faces, including a unifying explanation of both quantum and relativistic effects. Take a look at this classic Ted Talk by Nobel Prize winner George Smoot if you'd like to know the basics.
Are you serious?
We are absolutely serious. This project is the brainchild of Tom Campbell, an applied physics scientist who worked for NASA, DoD, Army Technical Intel, and other government agencies for over forty years. Feel free to shoot us an email for more information.
Can you really test the hypothesis that reality is a simulation?
Yes! In fact, we are proposing five! We aim to perform innovative wave-particle duality experiments to demonstrate whether the collapse of the wave function is caused by interaction from detection device machines, or by the availability of information to conscious observers. Our consciousness-based version of simulation theory predicts that these experiments will show that collapse occurs only as the result of observation by conscious observers, and not by interaction from detection devices. You can read our paper On Testing the Simulation Theory for details. ​
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Can you give an example of one of these tests?
Absolutely! The simplest test is relatively easy to explain. If you are familiar with the classic Double-Slit Experiment, just imagine the usual setup with a beam sending particles at two slits and a screen at the back recording where the particles will land. Now imagine we place detectors on each of the slits with external hard drives attached to them. The detectors, then, can be turned on and detect whether a particle traveled through the slits, while the external hard drives can be turned either on or off. If we leave the detectors on and turn the hard drives off, then the detectors are still interacting with the particles as usual, but the information of which slit the particles went through is unavailable to observers. The contemporary view holds that the detectors cause collapse by interacting with the particles, and thus we should expect to get a collapse pattern at the back slide when the hard drives storing the which-way data are turned off. But the Simulation Hypothesis predicts that we will find the opposite: even though the detectors are on, we will get a wave pattern at the back slides when hard drives are off, because the which-way information is unavailable to observers. A long-standing debate finally settled, and just the first and simplest way we plan on testing the hypothesis!
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What are the potential implications of testing the Simulation Hypothesis?
Testing the Simulation Hypothesis could have profound implications for our understanding of reality, physics, and the nature of existence. If the hypothesis is supported by our experiments, it could revolutionize our understanding of the universe and our place within it. The implications may extend to fields such as philosophy, technology, and our understanding of consciousness. It is an exciting endeavor with far-reaching consequences.
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How can I support your research?
Your support is invaluable to our mission. You can contribute by:
- Making a donation to our nonprofit to fund our research efforts.
- Sharing information about our work with your network and on social media.
- Volunteering your time and expertise if you have relevant skills.
- Contacting us to explore potential collaborations or partnerships.
- Staying updated with our latest developments and findings by Subscribing to our Newsletter.
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Do you collaborate with other scientific organizations?
Yes, we actively seek collaborations with other scientific institutions and researchers who share our interest in exploring the Simulation Hypothesis and its implications. Collaborative efforts help advance our research and bring together diverse perspectives in the pursuit of knowledge.
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How do I stay updated on your progress and findings?
To stay informed about our research progress, findings, and upcoming events, please subscribe to our newsletter on the bottom of this page, follow us on social media, and check our website for the latest updates. Your support and engagement are greatly appreciated in our quest to explore the Simulation Hypothesis.
I heard you are interested in consciousness.
That's true! In fact we think that consciousness is a key to all of this, and that the physical universe doesn't exist at all until a "player" (a consciousness) requests the information (observes/measures it.)
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Is the universe made of atoms?
Under our model, no. The universe is, as John Archibald Wheeler said, made of information ("it from bit"). And information is fundamentally non-physical. Click here to learn more about Tom's take on information.
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What do you assume the outcome of these experiments will be?
The experiments are designed to provide evidence for or against the hypothesis that our reality is information based – or, in other words, that we are living in a computed virtual reality. In the process of accomplishing that, these experiments are also designed to explore, and perhaps clearly resolve, significant conflicts between five competing perspectives of the underlying fundamental nature of quantum physics: 1) Copenhagen, 2) QBism, 3) Digital Physics, 4) Many Worlds, and 5) current standard QM theory. They may also shed some definitive light on the alleged connection between observers, consciousness, and quantum mechanics (QM).
We assume that, like a computer, the universe is actually finite - not infinite like we were taught in school - and like a computer's finite resources, the universe "renders" into existence for the player only when the player "requests" information. This is similar to how characters move around in a map in a video game - the whole level doesn't show up all at once, it shows up "as needed." We plan to use a variety of wave/particle duality tests to demonstrate this. To get the full details read our paper 'On Testing the Simulation Theory.' You'll find lots of answers there.