There are a few conspiracy theories surrounding the Matrix. The main one is that the reality humans know is actually part of an advanced civilization (Thomas). Reality could be a lie. This would mean humans are coded forms of a digital world. This theory brings up more theories related to it. Is deja vu actually glitches? Is the government part of creating the Matrix? These theories fall under the theory that humans are in a simulation. It can be hard to debunk a theory of this magnitude, but there are many scientific and philosophical arguments that go against this theory.
The biggest theory surrounding the Matrix is that reality is actually part of an advanced, coded world. According to Orf, Vopson argues the following:
This law plays a role in atomic physics, cosmology, and biological systems. This last one is where Vopson makes a big claim: contrary to Charles Darwin’s idea that mutations occur randomly, mutations actually occur so that information entropy is minimized. What this all adds up to, in Vospon’s estimation, is that the Second Law of Infodynamics could also be used to prove that we live in a simulation (Orf).
When studying quantum mechanics, it can be proven that the Matrix is not real. Scientists and mathematicians believe for the Matrix to be real that the universe would be a 3D projection laid over a 2D space. A 3D projection laid over a 2D space is a hologram, and the universe is not a hologram. Monte Carlo simulations were used to decide that the Matrix is not real. Physicists have compared anomalies of physics like warping of space and time to how a computer works. The physicist Zohar Ringel stated “If you see a phenomena that can’t be simulated by a classical computer, that means we can’t be part of a huge classical computer that is simulated while someone steals our energy, for example” (Perry).
The conspiracy that the universe is a simulation creates more conspiracies like deja vu being glitches;“Déjà vu is a momentary glitch in our reality, just like in the movie The Matrix. Believers of this theory think that when we experience déjà vu, we are actually transcending into a higher level of consciousness, where we can live more than one experience at the same time” (Bhatt). There are many research arguments regarding the human brain that debunk the idea of deja vu being glitches in a system (Raypole). Split perception is a common theory that experts use to explain deja vu (Raypole). Split perception is when something is seen two different times. The first time someone saw something it could have been out of the corner of their eye, or they were distracted. Other experts believe that deja vu is memory recall (Raypole). This theory suggests that it is a response to an event that is similar to something someone has experienced, but they may not remember it.
Another conspiracy that comes from the Matrix is that the government created the matrix. This conspiracy is rooted from people’s distrust of the government. Part of this distrust is control and surveillance. “News organizations broke stories about federal government surveillance of phone calls and electronic communications of U.S. and foreign citizens, based on classified documents leaked by then-National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. The initial stories and subsequent coverage sparked a global debate about surveillance practices, data privacy and leaks” (Geiger). Government activities like surveillance are used for security reasons. The government uses surveillance to catch threats. An example of this is the NSA’s PRISM program. It recognizes potential threats, but it works strictly within the framework of physical and digital spaces that are known. This means it can not alter or simulate a reality which goes against the conspiracy of the Matrix.
In order to debunk this conspiracy, scientific evidence can be reviewed. Quantum physics is unable to stimulate reality. The entire argument to support the conspiracy of the Matrix is just probability. There is not any evidence to support it. The scientific method requires that theories be tested and have data to support them. Simulation conspiracies are unable to meet these requirements. A combination of logic and scientific evidence are able to debunk the conspiracy.
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