Former NASA Scientist Is Attempting To Prove We Live In A Simulation

An ex-NASA scientist has made it his mission to definitively establish whether or not life is a simulation.

Several science fiction films have used this notion as their premise throughout the years.

But what if every actor, producer, and writer in those films was unknowingly trapped in a simulation themselves?

Is there an explanation for seemingly random events, near-death experiences, and odd coincidences that something beyond our conscious awareness is in charge of all we do?

Could our own lives be like a video game? Getty Images

Former NASA and Department of Defense physicist Thomas Campbell believes it very well may be.

He released a study in 2017 that described several studies aimed at determining whether our environment is being rendered in a manner akin to that of video games.

In order to pursue his quest for the truth, Campbell founded the non-profit Center for the Unification of Science and Consciousness (CUSAC).

Researchers at California State Polytechnic University (CalPoly) are currently testing his experiments.

One of CUSAC's objectives, according to its website, is: "To develop fundamental knowledge and understanding, of both the self and the evolving information system that appears to be the source of all reality, through rigorous scientific investigation of both physical reality and consciousness."

Campbell's experiments are "expected to provide strong scientific evidence that we live in a computer-simulated virtual reality," according to a press statement from CUSAC.

They rely on the notion that human "consciousness is not a product of the simulation—it is fundamental to reality," according to Campbell, who also postulates that the cosmos cannot exist without us, as its central player.

The notion is intriguing, to be sure, but it will only get more intriguing if Campbell can uncover proof for it.

He stated that his five tests had the potential to "uncover profound connections between consciousness and the cosmos" and "challenge the conventional understanding of reality."

Thomas Campbell shared his experiments in a 2017 paper. CUSAC

People who believe Campbell may be onto something and those who are more skeptical of the notion that the world we live in is a simulation have expressed differing opinions.

Their responses have varied in reaction to news of his trials.

One participant in a Reddit discussion debating the hypothesis made the following observation: "If we were in a simulation, wouldn't any tests to prove it turn up negative since the simulation would be programmed to falsify the results?"

Another joked: "I wouldn't even film myself sleeping to prove if I am haunted and you want me to find out if I live in a simulation?”

We'll just have to wait and see if Campbell's research reveals any surprising facts.