The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Are we living in a simulation?

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Sean Illing talks with philosopher David Chalmers about virtual worlds and the nature of reality, and other topics that stem from Chalmers's new book Reality+. In this far-reaching discussion, Sean and Prof. Chalmers get into the makeup of human consciousness, the question of whether we're living in a computer simulation, and — of course — The Matrix. Are digital worlds genuine realities, or will their proliferation lead to a troublesome turning away from the physical world?

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), Interviews Writer, Vox

Guest: David Chalmers, University Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science, NYU; co-director, Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness

References: 

  • Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy by David J. Chalmers (Norton; 2022)
  • Meditations on First Philosophy by René Descartes (1641)
  • "Are You Living In a Computer Simulation?" by Nick Bostrom (Philosophical Quarterly vol. 53 (211); 2003)
  • The Matrix (1999), dir. by The Wachowskis; The Matrix Resurrections (2021), dir. by Lana Wachowski
  • Free Guy (2021), dir. by Shawn Levy
  • Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (1992)
  • Anarchy, State, and Utopia by Robert Nozick (1974)


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    This episode was made by: 

    • Producer: Erikk Geannikis
    • Editor: Amy Drozdowska
    • Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey
    • Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall

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