Read this when ideas

One of the primary reasons for an Open When letter project is that they are a wonderful way to keep the fires burning in long distance relationships, or for when you and a loved one have to be apart for a significant length of time. Whether you’re looking to write cute letters to your boyfriend or girlfriend, here are some ideas!

OPEN WHEN …

• you first unpack
• you miss me
• you need a kiss
• you need a hug
• you miss holding my hand
• you are on your way to visit me
• you want to see my face
• you need a massage
• you need help falling asleep
• you need me to be there for you
• you need my protection
• you need to see a picture of us
• you’re thinking about how much you love me
• we have an argument
• we just got off the phone
• you want to tell me something, but I’m not available
• it’s the anniversary of when we met
• it’s the anniversary of our first date
• it’s the anniversary of our engagement
• it’s the anniversary of our first big trip
• it’s our wedding anniversary
• it’s a week after you’ve been gone
• it’s a month after you’ve been gone
• it’s a month until we see each other again
• it’s a week until we see each other again
• it’s the day before we see each other
• you’re on your way again after we’ve seen each other
• you need to read something romantic
• you think about laying in bed with me
• you need a cuddle
• you’re booking our next visit
• you need to tell me something important
• you’re worried we won’t make it
• you’re somewhere beautiful
• you visit our favorite place
• you don’t know what to write to me
• you feel naughty
• you need to feel loved
• you need to tell me you love me
• you’re afraid we’re drifting apart

Open When Letters for Encouragement

Encouragement letters are simple ways to keep people going in rough times. Give these to a friend, a child or even to your future self!

OPEN WHEN …

• you have a bad day
• your faith starts to waiver
• you feel nervous about a big event
• you’re angry at everything
• you need a laugh
• you need to hear a friendly voice
• you can’t take it anymore
• you’re too tired to get out of bed
• you have a cold
• your allergies are flaring up
• you have a nightmare
• you’re sick to your stomach
• you think the world is against you
• you don’t like what you see in the mirror
• you’re worn out
• you think you didn’t do the right thing
• you need to make a big decision
• you need inspiration
• you need a pep talk
• you lose your job
• you get a promotion
• you get a bad grade/evaluation
• you miss your friends
• you’re scared at night
• you start to question a big decision
• you have a big life question
• you’re in the hospital
• someone you know is in the hospital
• I’m in the hospital or sick
• you’ve had a streak of bad luck
• you are somewhere that seems hard to get away from
• you’re feeling small
• you’re blue
• you’re crying
• someone has let you down
• you missed something important
• something came collapsing down around you
• you’re stressed
• you don’t feel respected by your co-workers

Open When Letters to Commemorate Events

Personal celebrations and holidays are obvious ideas for these Open When cards. Picking obscure dates like “Arbor Day” or “National Talk Like a Pirate Day” can also keep them exciting and fun.

OPEN WHEN …

• it’s your birthday
• it’s my birthday
• it’s your half-birthday
• it’s your first day of work
• you’ve finished a great book
• you get your first paycheck
• you make a friend
• it’s Easter
• it’s Passover
• it’s Arbor Day
• it’s Flag Day
• it’s Canada Day
• it’s baseball opening day for a favorite team
• it’s the All Star Game
• it’s basketball opening day for a favorite team
• it’s football opening day for a favorite team
• it’s hockey opening day for a favorite team
• it’s the first day of the Olympics
• it’s the Super Bowl
• it’s Christmas
• it’s half-way to Christmas (Leon day – June 25)
• it’s Thanksgiving
• it’s Mother’s Day
• it’s Father’s Day
• it’s Grandparents Day
• it’s Valentine’s Day
• it’s St. Patrick’s Day
• it’s Mardi Gras
• it’s Cinco De Mayo
• it’s Pi Day (March 14 – 3.14)
• it’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 17)
• it’s Star Wars Day (May 4th – may the 4th be with you)
• it’s Boxing Day
• it’s National Jelly Bean Day (April 22)
• it’s Festivus (December 23)
• it’s Memorial Day
• it’s Labor Day
• it’s MLK Day
• it’s Independence Day
• it’s Presidents Day
• it’s Halloween
• it’s Earth Day
• it’s Leap Day
• it’s Administrative Professionals Day (last Wednesday of April)
• it’s Groundhog Day
• it’s the first day of Spring (or when it feels like Spring)
• it’s the first day of Summer (or when it feels like Summer)
• it’s the first day of Fall (or when it feels like Fall)
• it’s the first day of Winter (or when it feels like Winter)
• it’s the first snowfall
• you first notice the leaves are changing color
• you feel like building a fire
• you feel like you need to cool off
• it’s really hot out
• it first gets below zero

Open When Letters for Military Families

It’s not always easy to stay in touch with loved ones in the military especially with those deployed overseas. These ideas don’t just apply to military members per se, but are ideas that generally pertain to brave men and women who are risking their lives to defend our country.

OPEN WHEN …

• you’ve just been deployed
• you’ve been deployed a week
• you’ve been deployed a month
• you need strength
• you miss the USA
• you need to remember how proud I am of you
• the food isn’t good
• you’ve hit a wall
• everything seems foreign to you
• you need to feel up to an important task
• you are wondering about something asked of you
• you need to escape
• you need a little something from home
• you feel like hitting someone
• you feel wrung out
• you want to talk to me, but can’t
• it’s Veteran’s Day
• you’re going on your first mission
• you’re going on a dangerous mission
• you get back from doing something risky
• you don’t feel safe
• you’re flooded with relief

Open When Letters to Your Children

Anyone who has kids always says the same thing, “it goes by so fast”. Even though you can’t be with them every single moment, there are always opportunities to reach out and support them. An Open When project can offer advice and encouragement for them when you can’t be there.

OPEN WHEN …

• it’s your graduation
• it’s your first day of college
• you have your first big exam
• before your first big presentation
• you are homesick
• you need a little extra cash
• you’re going to a great party
• you need a little parental advice
• you meet someone you love
• it’s the first day of Freshman Year
• it’s the last day of Senior year
• it’s your first big breakup
• it’s your college graduation
• it’s your first professional job
• you get your first promotion
• you get your first car
• you do something you regret
• you have a headache (hangover?)
• you move for the first time
• you move for the second time
• you move in with someone
• you are thinking about proposing
• you get engaged
• you register for your wedding
• wedding planning is making you crazy
• you get married
• you find out you are going to have a baby
• you have your first child
• your kid is driving you crazy
• you have your second child
• the kid(s) just won’t stop crying
• you get your first pet
• your bankroll is getting tight
• your child goes to kindergarten
• you have your 10-year High School Reunion
• you want to know more about where you came from
• a grandparent passes away
• you’ve reached a crossroads
• you wonder what you are doing with your life
• you need someone to believe in you

Open When Letters for Siblings and Friends

When a good friend or a sibling moves away it can be hard to find the right words in the moment. Packing them some motivational and inspirational letters is a great way to show people that you love them, even when you live far way.

OPEN WHEN …

• you’re mad at me
• you’re mad at Mom or Dad
• you wonder what I’m doing right now
• you forget something important in my life
• I forget something important in your life
• we haven’t talked in long time
• you feel like I’m not helping
• something breaks
• you lose something important
• you splurge on something that’s too expensive
• you get a great deal
• you remember something from our childhood
• you can’t remember something from our childhood
• you go on a vacation (without me!?)
• we make plans to see each other
• something bad happens to Mom or Dad
• a childhood home is sold
• you need something comforting from when you were a kid
• you need a night out with me, but I’m not there
• you feel like coming home
• you feel like NOT coming home
• you need something that reminds you of home
• (girls/guys) are jerks
• you get great news
• you remember our favorite movie
• you remember our favorite song
• you remember our favorite game
• you think of our friend _____
• you think of our enemy _____
• you think of my first love interest
• you think of your first love interest
• you need something from your teenage self
• it’s just Friday
• you thought about calling me, but something distracted you and now it’s too late
• you need a cup of tea
• your power goes out
• you can’t find something
• you want to scream
• you’re trying to diet
• you’ve ignored my advice

Here are some outside-of-the-box, whimsical and weird ideas to riff from that can apply to most of the categories above. They can be for just about any feeling or day and are meant to make someone laugh. Include fun objects to go along with the theme.

OPEN WHEN …

• you’re feeling really hungry
• you want to laugh
• you need something to read in the bathroom
• you need a backup plan for a rainy day
• you’re stuck in traffic (or on the train/bus)
• you need a break from the Internet
• just for the heck of it
• you need a silly postcard
• your refrigerator magnet collection seems sparse
• you need an instant party
• you need something mysterious
• you’re out of underwear
• you need a new motto
• you need a new look
• you need something from the 70s
• you haven’t shaved for a few days
• you need to complain
• you need to rant
• you want to sing
• you want to dance
• you need some sugar
• you feel fancy
• you feel sassy
• you feel gross
• you can’t figure out what to eat for lunch
• you need change for the meter
• clowns are scary
• you feel wicked
• you want to make a wish
• you need a little spice in your life
• you want to have a little fun
• you’ve finished a terrible movie
• you’ve finished a terrible book
• you’ve eaten something disgusting
• you’ve eaten something that’s your new favorite food
• there’s a song stuck in your head
• you need something to write with
• you win a bet
• your feet hurt
• you smell something funny
• you need to pull off a death-defying feat
• you are scared of something ridiculous
• you forgot to plug in your phone
• this is the very last letter

Things to Include in an Open When Letter

Stretching the limits of your creativity is part of the fun in putting this kind of project. Specificity is key, so the best things to include are personal items like inside jokes, pictures of you or mix tapes/CDs! Gift cards for small amounts to their favorite restaurants, coffee shops and online music apps work well.  

Inexpensive crafts are also fun. For example, if the theme is “open when you’re stressed”, you could include a piece of bubble wrap.

It’s also nice to encourage more correspondence. Write something heartfelt that answers a few specific questions about yourself and then include a blank page and an already addressed and stamped envelope. Tiny trinkets, key chains and totems that they can carry with them to remind them of you are also great ideas.
Some other ideas include:

• if they need a countdown: a calendar with stickers to mark the days
• if they need a reminder: something with your perfume or cologne
• if they need a kiss: include something soft with your lip prints on it
• if they need some warmth: send this  easy to make a DIY hand warmer with one of your gloves and a little rice
• if they need to say hooray: include a bag of confetti
• when they want to get funky: include a mix CD with some favorite songs
• when they want to laugh: quotes from your favorite comedian or TV show
• when they’re getting sick: Vitamin C or what you need to make a Hot Toddy along with instructions—honey, whiskey and tea bags.

Handwritten quotes or well-worn advice can be just the right thing for a difficult occasion. Begin with quotes from authors or personalities you both love, or pick a few of your favorites. Here are some ideas:

When you want something romantic
“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.” – Pablo Neruda

When it’s your birthday

“Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter” – Satchel Paige

When you need a laugh

“I went to a restaurant that serves ‘breakfast at any time’. So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance.” – Steven Wright

When they need to feel brave

“Courage is not the absence of fear: it is acting in spite of it. ”  – Mark Twain

When they need encouragement

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou

When they need a prayer

“Here are the two best prayers i know: Help me, help me, help me, and thank you, thank you, thank you.” – Ann Lamott

When they need something, but not sure what it is

“What day is it?”

“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.

“My favorite day,” said Pooh. – A.A. Milne

Letters can also include lovely romantic quotes for your sweetheart or a variety of inspirational quotes.

These are just a few ideas for your Open When letter project. Remember, the more specific these can be to the person you give them to, the more effective they will be. And because the letters are often written all at one time, it’s lovely to be able to think about a good place and special time to write them. Here are a few ideas for when to create your series of letters

• During your honeymoon or the week before your wedding
• The day before a child is born or maybe his/her first day of school
• The week before a big move or deployment

Most importantly, don’t let this giant list intimidate you. You can write a few at a time and send them in a few installments. Or, set a limitation of 10 to 12 letters so you don’t get overwhelmed. The sizes of the letters are also up to you. You could send a book or sweater, or just keep it to small notes. Getting all these ready is supposed to be fun, so only take on as much as you feel you can handle.

If you want to make the letters extra special, send your loved one a surprise treat, like dipped strawberries. It will make the experience of opening a letter that much sweeter.

50 Creative & Easy Open When Letter Ideas

Open When Letters – Ideas To Get You Started

Wouldn’t it be great to have a love letter ready to go for your loved one at the moment they need it the most? Open When Letters (also called “Open Me When” Letters) are a unique way to help someone at any moment of need! With these types of letters, you can put pen to paper in advance so that when the time comes, you’re ready to be of comfort to someone you love!

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What Are Open When Letters?

Open When Letters are written messages that you can prepare in advance for someone to open during a specific moment. It is an easy way to give a boost of support and love to someone at the exact moment that they need it!

For example, if your loved one is away, you might write them a note of encouragement and label the card “Open When You Miss Me.” Then, when they are sad and missing you, they can pull out the card and undoubtedly feel better.

Who Should I Make Open When Letters For?

One of the things that we love about Open When Letters are how versatile they are! Here are a few situations that would be perfect for this type of gift:

• Long-distance relationships
• Spouse leaving on a trip
• Military families separated during deployment
• Children away from home for a camp or college
• Missionary service or study abroad

What Events Should I Write Open When Letters For?

You could create a set of Open When Letters for anything, really! You could write Open When Cards for big life events such as:

• birthdays
• anniversaries
• graduation

You could also write letters for more general moments such as when:

• they might need a pep talk
• they need a good laugh
• they are going through a hard time

Open When Letter Rules

When you gift a set of Open When Letters, you usually want to establish a few rules. We even suggest that you write them down and include them with your set of envelopes as part of the gift. Sometimes, people will put these rules in an envelope and label it “Open First”.

Here are a few Open When Letter rules you might consider:

• Open when the letter applies.
• Only open one letter at a time.
• Open ___ # of letters/week or day.
• Don’t peek until you really need it!
• Save the letters to refer to in the future.

Free Open When Letters PDF Printable

You are gonna LOVE our free printable PDF download of Open When Letter envelope labels and card inserts! It makes creating Open When Cards for your loved one SO easy! You can find these FREE envelope labels and inserts if you scroll to the bottom of this post.

Simply download the PDF and print the free envelope covers and card inserts that you most want to use.

Ready for the ultimate list of Open When Letter topic ideas? We’ve included over a dozen of the most popular ideas for you below! Check these out!

Open When Letter Topic Ideas

Open When…

1. You Need to Know How Much I Love You
2. You’re Worried
3. It’s Your Birthday
4. You Need a Good Laugh
5. You’re Upset or Angry
6. It’s Our Anniversary
7. You Could Use a Little Pep Talk
8. You’re Feeling Happy
9. It’s Valentine’s Day
10. You Are Feeling Lonely
11. You Want to Reminisce
12. It’s Christmas Day
13. You Want Me!
14. You Can’t Fall Asleep

As you can see, we’ve already done all the work for you. All of the labels are already filled out with fully prepped Open When ideas!

MORE OPEN WHEN TOPICS

In our free printable PDF download, we have also included blank cards so you can completely personalize your Open When cards. The beauty of an Open When Letter is that it can be customized to ANY occasion and to ANY person. If you want to go beyond the Open When Letter ideas we provided, then feel free to make your own using the blank template! 

Here’s an extended list of other Open When ideas for other occasions you could do in addition to the ones above:

Open When…

1. You’re Excited
2. You’re Ready for An Adventure
3. You Miss Me
4. You Feel Tired
5. You’re Overwhelmed
6. You Feel Sad
7. You Need Some Cheer
8. We’ve Said Goodbye
9. You Feel Like Giving Up
10. You’re Angry
11. You’re Traveling Alone
12. You Need Some Cash
13. You’re Afraid
14. You Need to Make a Big Decision
15. You’re Frustrated with Work
16. You Have Some Bad Luck
17. You Are Sick
18. You’re Confused About Life
19. I’m Driving You Crazy
20. You Have Financial Stress
21. You Need Someone to Believe in You
22. Someone Let You Down
23. You Are Disappointed
24. You Are Stressed
25. Someone Passes Away
26. You Are Bored
27. I’m Angry
28. You Feel Successful
29. You Need a Break
30. You’re Feeling Scared
31. You Doubt Yourself
32. You Need a Hug
33. You’re Having a Bad Day
34. You Need to Hear a Compliment
35. You’ve Made a Mistake
36.  You Need Some Motivation

What Supplies Do I Need To Make Open When Cards?

Making your Open When Cards is so simple. You need very few supplies.

Here a few things we suggest:

• Envelopes – We love these ones because they fit perfectly and are so colorful!
• Pens – We love these gel ones. They are so colorful and smooth!
• Box (optional) – We are fans of gifting these in a keepsake box. These letters will be a treasure!
• Printable Open When Cards & Labels (download for free below)

What Do You Write in Open When Letters?

You might be wondering, “How do you start an Open When Letter?” and “What do I write in the Open When Letters?” Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

We know it can be hard to figure out what exactly to write for an in-advance letter. But here are a few suggestions to help get you started with what to include:

• Share your own experiences! Nothing builds connection and shows love more than a relatable personal experience.
• Make them laugh! Laughter really is the BEST medicine… and can be the perfect way to share your love.
• Compliment them! Affirming words can go a LONG way in brightening someone’s day.
• Write a quote. If the words aren’t coming to you, maybe start with a quote that expresses what you want to say and then you can expand from there.
• Write about a memory together. This can really bring a lot of emotions and make your letter personal.

What to Put Inside an Open When Letter

Besides your letter, you can also get creative with adding in a special item. Always consider the length of time until they might open the letter when making your choices.

Here are a few items you might consider adding to your envelope:

1. Gift Card
2. Balloons
3. Photograph
4. Drawing or art
5. Tickets
6. Bookmark
7. Candy
8. An item sprayed with a familiar scent
9. Jewelry
10. Origami
11. Candles (perfect for a birthday)

Done-For-You Open When Letter Kits

Our readers have LOVED our Open When Letters! They expressed that they loved the idea so much but they wanted MORE printables and MORE help to write their letters. So, we put together two unique Open When Letter printable packs. They help make it easy to put together an unforgettable love letter for the people you love. We have a general version for a loved one and a version specifically with Open When Letter ideas and printables for your kids!

Our Ultimate Open When Letters Kit in our store includes:

• Editable “Open When” to customize your envelope covers
• Coordinating cards that can be typed on directly before printing
• An expansive list of “Open When” topic options
• Sample letters 
• Letter-writing prompts to help get you started
• Pre-written cards to keep things easy
• Box Cover Keepsake
• And more!

We also have an Open When Letters for Kids Kit that is absolutely amazing for all those special moments in your kid’s life! From when they are just learning to read to when they are graduating high school or even going off and getting married, these Open When Cards are a perfect sentiment!

This Open When Letters for Kids Kit includes:

• 35 coordinating labels and cards (including 10 BIG milestones stationery)
• Keepsake box cover to store your letters in
• “Open Me Right Now” card explaining the Open When Letter rules

Whatever way you choose to do this project, we’ve done all the prep work for you to make writing your letters easy peasy.  Now you’re all set and ready to write a stack of meaningful, heartfelt letters to your loved one!

Did you make your own Open When Letters? Now click over to another great idea:

• Reasons Why I Love You Booklet
• Reasons Why I Love You Jar
• Love Notes Template
• Love Poster for Her or for Him
• I love You Today Because Tradition
• DIY Explosion Box
• A Letter to My Husband About Our Relationship
• Couples Nights
• Date Ideas
• Easy Romance Ideas

Free Download

"Open When" Letters

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Printables Designed by Erin @ Strawberry Mommycakes Exclusively for The Dating Divas

Perhaps our world is virtual. But does it matter?

• Philip Ball
• BBC Earth

14 October 2016

Sign up for our 'Context' newsletter to help you understand what's going on.

Image copyright, Getty Images

Keanu Reeves may be living in the matrix and off set

Some scientists believe our universe is a gigantic computer simulation. Should we be concerned about this?

Are we real? What about me personally?

Previously, only philosophers asked such questions. Scientists, on the other hand, tried to understand what our world is like and to explain its laws.

But the considerations that have appeared recently regarding the structure of the Universe pose existential questions before science as well.

Some physicists, cosmologists, and artificial intelligence experts suspect that we are all living inside a giant computer simulation, mistaking a virtual world for reality.

• The "evil genius" hoax: can the world be a computer simulation?
• Will religion ever disappear?
• Science and religion: is it possible to put an end to hostility?
• A virtual deer wreaked havoc in GTA V
• How virtual reality helps cure paranoia

This idea is contrary to our feelings: the world is too realistic to be a simulation. The heaviness of the cup in the hand, the aroma of the coffee poured into it, the sounds around us - how can one fake such a wealth of experiences?

But think about the progress made in computer and information technology over the past few decades.

Today's video games are populated by characters interacting realistically with the player, and virtual reality simulators sometimes make it indistinguishable from the world outside the window.

And this is quite enough to make a person paranoid.

In the science fiction movie "The Matrix" this idea is formulated very clearly. People there are imprisoned in a virtual world, which they unconditionally perceive as real.

However, The Matrix is ​​not the first film to explore the phenomenon of the artificial universe. Suffice it to recall "Videodrome" by David Cronenberg (1982) or "Brazil" by Terry Gilliam (1985).

All these dystopias raise two questions: how do we know that we live in a virtual world, and does it really matter?

Image copyright, Getty Images

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX

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The version that we live inside a simulation has powerful supporters.

As the American entrepreneur Elon Musk stated in June 2016, the probability of this is "a billion to one".

And Google's CTO of AI, Ray Kurzweil, suggests that perhaps "our entire universe is a science experiment by a junior high school student from another universe."

Some physicists are ready to consider this possibility. In April 2016, scientists took part in a discussion on this topic at the New York American Museum of Natural History.

None of these people claimed that in reality we are swimming naked in a sticky liquid, studded with wires, like the heroes of The Matrix.

But there are at least two possible scenarios according to which the Universe around us can be artificial.

MIT cosmologist Alan Guth suggests that the universe may be real, but is also a laboratory experiment. According to his hypothesis, our world was created by some kind of superintelligence - just like biologists grow colonies of microorganisms.

In principle, there is nothing that would exclude the possibility of the creation of the universe as a result of an artificial Big Bang, Guth says.

The universe in which such an experiment would be carried out would remain intact. The new world would form in a separate space-time bubble, which would quickly separate from the mother universe and lose contact with it.

This scenario does not affect our lives in any way. Even if the Universe originated in a "test tube" of superintelligence, it is physically as real as if it had formed naturally.

But there is a second scenario that is of particular interest because it undermines the very foundations of our understanding of reality.

Photo copyright, TAKE 27 LTD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

It is possible that our universe was created artificially. But by whom?

Musk and other supporters of this hypothesis argue that we are entirely simulated beings - just streams of information in some kind of giant computer, like video game characters.

Even our brain is a simulation, responding to artificial stimuli.

In this scenario, there is no matrix to get out of: our whole life is a matrix beyond which existence is simply impossible.

But why should we believe in such a convoluted version of our own existence?

The answer is very simple: humanity is already capable of simulating reality, and with the further development of technology, it will eventually be able to create a perfect simulation, inhabited by intelligent beings-agents, would perceive it as an absolutely real world.

We create computer simulations not only for games, but also for research purposes. Scientists simulate various interaction situations at various levels - from subatomic particles to human communities, galaxies and even universes.

For example, computer simulations of the complex behavior of animals help us understand how flocks and swarms form. Through simulations, we study the principles behind the formation of planets, stars, and galaxies.

We can also simulate human communities using relatively simple agents making choices based on certain rules.

Photo copyright, SPL

Supercomputers are getting more powerful

Such programs model human cooperation, urban development, the functioning of traffic and the state economy, and many other processes.

As the processing power of computers grows, simulations become more complex. Elements of thinking are already being built into separate programs that imitate human behavior - as yet primitive.

Researchers believe that in the not so distant future, virtual agents will be able to make decisions based not on elementary logic from the category of "if . .. then ...", but on simplified models of human consciousness.

Who can guarantee that soon we will not witness the creation of virtual beings endowed with consciousness? Advances in understanding the principles of the brain, as well as the vast computing resources that the development of quantum computing promises, are steadily bringing this moment closer.

If we ever reach this stage of technological development, we will be simultaneously running a huge number of simulations, the number of which will far exceed our only "real" world.

Is it really impossible, then, that some intelligent civilization somewhere in the universe has already reached this stage?

And if so, it would be logical to assume that we just live inside such a simulation, and not in a world in which virtual realities are created - after all, the probability of this is statistically much higher.

Photo credit, Science Photo Library

Scientific simulation of the origin of the universe

Philosopher Nick Bostrom of the University of Oxford breaks down this scenario into three possible scenarios:

creation of similar simulations;

(2) civilizations that have reached this level, for some reason, refuse to create such simulations;

(3) we are inside a similar simulation.

The question is which of these options seems most likely.

American astrophysicist George Smoot, Nobel laureate in physics, argues that there are no convincing reasons to believe in the first two options.

Undoubtedly, humanity is persistently creating problems for itself - suffice it to mention global warming, growing stocks of nuclear weapons and the threat of mass extinction of species. But these problems will not necessarily lead to the destruction of our civilization.

Image copyright ANDRZEJ WOJCICKI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Are we all part of a computer simulation?

Moreover, there is no reason why it would be fundamentally impossible to create a very realistic simulation whose characters would believe that they live in the real world and are free in their actions.

And given how common Earth-like planets are in the universe (one of which, recently discovered, is relatively close to Earth), it would be the height of arrogance to assume that humanity is the most advanced civilization, notes Smoot.

How about option number two? Theoretically, humanity could refrain from conducting such simulations for ethical reasons - for example, considering it inhumane to artificially create creatures convinced that their world is real.

But even that seems unlikely, says Smoot. After all, one of the main reasons why we run our own simulations is our desire to learn more about our own reality. This can help us make the world a better place and possibly save lives.

So there will always be sufficient ethical justification for such experiments.

It looks like we're left with only one option: we're probably inside a simulation.

But all this is nothing more than speculation. Can they find conclusive evidence?

Many researchers believe that everything depends on the quality of the simulation. The most logical thing would be to try to find errors in the program - like those that betrayed the artificial nature of the "real world" in the movie "The Matrix". For example, we might find contradictions in physical laws.

Or, as the late AI pioneer Marvin Minsky suggested, there could be inherent rounding errors in approximations.

Photo credit, Science Photo Library

We are already able to simulate entire groups of galaxies

For example, in the case when an event has several outcomes, the sum of the probabilities of their occurrence should be one. If this is not true, we can say that something is missing here.

However, according to some scientists, there are enough reasons to think that we are inside a simulation. For example, our universe looks like it was artificially constructed.

The values ​​of the fundamental physical constants are suspiciously ideal for the emergence of life in the Universe - one might get the impression that they were set intentionally.

Even small changes in these values ​​would cause the atoms to lose their stability or make stars impossible to form.

Cosmology still cannot convincingly explain this phenomenon. But one possible explanation has to do with the term "multiverse."

What if there are many universes that came into being as a result of events similar to the Big Bang, but subject to different physical laws?

Randomly, some of these universes are ideal for the origin of life, and if we were not lucky enough to be in one of them, then we would not ask questions about the universe, because we simply would not exist.

However, the idea of ​​the existence of parallel universes is highly speculative. So there remains at least a theoretical possibility that our universe is actually a simulation, the parameters of which are specifically set by the creators to obtain the results they are interested in - the emergence of stars, galaxies and living beings.

Although such a possibility cannot be ruled out, such theorizing leads us in circles.

In the end, one can just as well assume that the parameters of the "real" Universe in which our creators live were artificially set by someone. In this case, accepting the postulate that we are inside a simulation does not explain the mystery of the values ​​of constant physical quantities.

Some experts, as evidence that something is wrong with the universe, point to very strange discoveries made by modern physics.

Image copyright MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Is our universe nothing more than a collection of mathematical formulas?

Quantum mechanics, a branch of physics that operates with extremely small quantities, has given us a particularly large number of such discoveries. Thus, it turns out that both matter and energy have a granular structure.

Moreover, the "resolution" at which we can observe the Universe has its own minimum limit: if you try to observe smaller objects, they simply will not look "sharp" enough.

According to Smoot, these strange features of quantum physics could just be signs that we are living inside a simulation - just like when you try to view an image on a screen from a very close distance, it breaks up into individual pixels.

But this is a very rough analogy. Scientists are gradually coming to the conclusion that the "graininess" of the Universe at the quantum level may be the result of more fundamental laws that determine the limits of cognizable reality.

Another argument in favor of the virtuality of our world says that the Universe, as it seems to a number of scientists, is described by mathematical equations.

And some physicists go even further and claim that our reality is a set of mathematical formulas.

Cosmologist Max Tegmark of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology emphasizes that just such a result would be expected if the laws of physics were based on a computational algorithm.

However, this argument threatens to lead us into a vicious circle of reasoning.

To begin with, if a superintelligence decides to simulate its own "real" world, it is logical to assume that the physical principles at the basis of such a simulation will reflect those that operate in its own universe - after all, that's what we do.

In this case, the true explanation of the mathematical nature of our world would not be that it is a simulation, but that the "real" world of our creators is arranged in exactly the same way.

In addition, the simulation need not be based on mathematical rules. You can make it function in a random, chaotic way.

Photo credit, Science Photo Library

Some scientists believe that the universe could be based on mathematics "reality" of the Universe, starting from its supposedly mathematical nature.

However, according to physicist James Gates of the University of Maryland, there is a stronger reason to believe that computer simulations are responsible for the laws of physics.

Gates studies matter at the level of quarks - subatomic particles that make up protons and neutrons in atomic nuclei. According to him, quarks obey rules that are somewhat reminiscent of computer codes that correct errors in data processing.

Is it possible?

Maybe so. But it is possible that such an interpretation of physical laws is only the most recent example of how humanity has interpreted the world around us from time immemorial, based on knowledge of the latest achievements of technological progress.

In the era of classical Newtonian mechanics, the universe was represented by a clockwork. And later, at the dawn of the computer era, DNA was considered as a kind of digital code storage with the function of storing and reading information.

Perhaps we just extrapolate our current technological passions to the laws of physics every time.

It seems very difficult, if not impossible, to find conclusive evidence that we are inside a simulation.

Unless there are many bugs in the code, it will be difficult to create a test whose results cannot be explained in some other, more rational way.

Even if our world is a simulation, says Smoot, we may never be able to confirm this unequivocally - simply because such a task is beyond the power of our minds.

After all, one of the goals of simulation is to create characters that would function within the established rules, and not violate them intentionally.

However, there's a bigger reason why we probably shouldn't worry too much about being just lines of code.

Some physicists believe that this is how the real world is anyway.

The terminological apparatus used to describe quantum physics is increasingly beginning to resemble a dictionary of computer science and computer technology.

Some physicists suspect that, at a fundamental level, nature may not be pure mathematics but pure information: bits, like computer ones and zeros.

Leading theoretical physicist John Wheeler called this conjecture "It from Bit".

According to this hypothesis, everything that happens at the level of interactions of fundamental particles and above is a kind of computational process.

"You can think of the universe as a giant quantum computer," says Seth Lloyd of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "If you look at the "inner workings" of the universe, that is, at the structure of matter at the smallest possible scale, we see [quantum] bits, involved in local digital operations".

Image copyright, RICHARD KAIL/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

The quantum world is blurry and obscure to us

So if reality is just information, it doesn't matter if we're inside a simulation or not: the answer to this question does not make us more or less "real".

Be that as it may, we simply cannot be anything but information.

Does it matter for us whether this information was programmed by nature or some kind of superintelligence? It is unlikely - well, except in the second case, our creators are theoretically able to intervene in the course of the simulation and even stop it altogether.

But what can we do to avoid this?

Tegmark recommends that we all lead as interesting lives as possible so as not to bore our creators.

Of course, this is a joke. Surely any of us will have more compelling motives to live life to the fullest than the fear that otherwise we will be "erased".

But the very formulation of the question indicates certain flaws in the logic of reasoning about the reality of the Universe.

The idea that some higher-order experimenters will eventually get tired of fiddling with us and decide to run some other simulation smacks too anthropomorphically.

Like Kurzweil's statement about the school experiment, it implies that our creators are just naughty teenagers having fun with game consoles.

The discussion of the three versions of Bostrom also suffers from a similar solipsism. This is nothing more than an attempt to describe the Universe in terms of the achievements of mankind in the 21st century: “We develop computer games, after all. I bet that superintelligent beings would do this too, only their games would be much cooler!”

Of course, any attempt to imagine how superintelligent beings might act will inevitably lead to an extrapolation of our own experience. But this does not negate the unscientific nature of this approach.

Photo credit, Science Photo Library

The universe can also be represented as a quantum computer. But what will it give us?

It is probably no coincidence that many proponents of the idea of ​​"comprehensive simulation" admit that in their youth they read science fiction avidly.

It is possible that the choice of reading predetermined their adult interest in the problems of extraterrestrial intelligence, but it also encourages them now to clothe their thoughts in the forms familiar to the genre.

They seem to be viewing space through the window of the starship Enterprise translator].

Harvard physicist Lisa Randell cannot understand the enthusiasm with which some of her colleagues dabble with the idea of ​​reality as a total simulation. For her, this does not change anything in the approach to the perception and study of the world.

According to Randell, everything depends on our choice: what exactly is meant by the so-called reality.

It is unlikely that Elon Musk spends his days thinking about the fact that the people around him, his family and friends are just constructs consisting of data streams and projected into his consciousness.

Partly he doesn't do it because he simply won't be able to constantly think in this way about the world around him.

But much more important is what we all know in the depths of our souls: the only definition of reality worth our attention is our immediate sensations and experiences, and not a hypothetical world hidden "behind the scenes".

However, there is nothing new in the interest in what might actually be behind the world that is available to us in sensations. Philosophers have been asking similar questions for centuries.

Photo copyright, Mike Agliolo/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

From our point of view, the quantum world is illogical

Even Plato believed that what we take for reality can only be shadows projected onto the wall of a cave.

According to Immanuel Kant, although some "thing in itself" underlying the images we perceive may exist, it is not given to us to know it.

René Descartes' famous phrase "I think, therefore I am" means that the ability to think is the only clear criterion for existence.

The concept of "the world as a simulation" presents this old philosophical problem in a modern high-tech wrapper, and that's not a big deal.

Like many other paradoxes of philosophy, it forces us to take a critical look at certain entrenched ideas.

But until we can convincingly show that the deliberate separation of "reality" and the sensations we experience from it leads to obvious differences in our behavior or in the phenomena we observe, our understanding of reality will not change in any significant way.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the English philosopher George Berkeley argued that the world is an illusion. To which his critic, the writer Samuel Johnson, exclaimed: "Here is my rebuttal!" and kicked a stone.

In fact, Johnson did not disprove Berkeley with this. But his answer to such statements was perhaps the most correct possible.

Read the original of this article in English at BBC Earth .

100 books recommended by great people

ReadThisTwice publishes a ranking of 100 books most often recommended by famous people - politicians, entrepreneurs, writers, scientists, actors - from Bill Gates to Tom Hanks. The site collects the favorite books of more than two thousand people - as the creators of the service write: "We spend countless hours on the Internet in search of genuine book recommendations from people we look up to."

We publish 100 ReadThisTwice books, most of them in the Smart Reading Library. About a dozen fiction books were included in the list, we did not exclude them, because they are wonderful novels, which are just as useful to read as literature on self-development.

Castes. The Origins of Inequality in the 21st Century // Isabelle Wilkerson

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabelle Wilkerson explores the origins of caste systems and proves that today's society, like many centuries ago, is characterized by a division into higher and lower "classes". The original and frank book is woven from many instructive stories about destinies crippled by injustice and discrimination.

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion // Jonathan Haidt

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt's bestseller on how people make moral judgments, why their religious and political views are so different. Why do people around the world, instead of uniting by common values, try to impose their morality on each other.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is a memoir // Stephen King

In his memoir, contemporary fiction guru Stephen King talks about his experiences, habits and beliefs.

Psychology of money. Eternal Lessons of Wealth, Greed and Happiness // Morgan Hauser

This book does not contain the formula charts commonly associated with finance. The author shares 19 fascinating stories about money and the mindset of successful people. Read them to understand the nature of money, manage it wisely and become financially free.

When breath dissolves into air. Sometimes fate doesn't care that you're a doctor // Paul Kalanithi

Talented neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi was only 36 years old when he learned of his diagnosis: stage 4 lung cancer. Yesterday he saved his patients from death, and today he faced it himself. This is the book of a man whose last days, despite the terrible diagnosis, were filled with life much more than death.

Open: An Autobiography // Andre Agassi

A gripping first-person story of the remarkable life of the famous tennis player Andre Agassi.

Small business. From illusions to success. How to Build and Keep a Company // Michael Gerber

Michael Gerber debunks the myths associated with starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of doing business. He takes readers through the stages of a business life—from entrepreneurial infancy through teenage growing pains to mature entrepreneurial perspective: the beacon of all successful businesses—and shows how to apply the lessons of franchising to any business.

The Overstory // Richard Powers