Are you praying to a videogame God? Some theological and philosophical implications of the simulation hypothesis
The hypothesis that we may be living in a digital simulation is utilized as a ‘thought experiment’ to help clarify important questions in theology and philosophy, including the nature of God, the significance and importance of an afterlife, and the ultimate nature of reality. It is argued that a con...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2023
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| In: |
International journal of philosophy and theology
Year: 2023, Volume: 84, Issue: 1, Pages: 77-91 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Simulation
/ Computer game
/ God
/ Hereafter
/ Materialism
/ Physics
|
| IxTheo Classification: | CF Christianity and Science NBC Doctrine of God NBQ Eschatology VA Philosophy ZG Media studies; Digital media; Communication studies |
| Further subjects: | B
matrix theology
B Nature of God B Simulation hypothesis B matrix philosophy |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The hypothesis that we may be living in a digital simulation is utilized as a ‘thought experiment’ to help clarify important questions in theology and philosophy, including the nature of God, the significance and importance of an afterlife, and the ultimate nature of reality. It is argued that a consideration of the simulation hypothesis renders problematic traditional conceptions of a personal, creator, omnipotent deity, makes the theological significance of a purported afterlife far less significant, and paradoxically undermines the very materialistic view of reality that underlies the simulation hypothesis in the first place. It is concluded that the simulation hypothesis renders ‘science’ virtually irrelevant to ultimate questions in philosophy and theology and elevates ethics and axiology to fundamental status for our understanding of reality and any defensible conception of the divine. |
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| ISSN: | 2169-2335 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: International journal of philosophy and theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/21692327.2023.2182822 |