Suppose for a second that humans have finally discovered the key to creating the all powerful quantum computer. Suppose that we have almost infinite computational resources at our disposal. And now, suppose that someone decides that this is the perfect chance to play god.
With these infinite resources (and assuming we have a fair knowledge of the universe behind us), it would be possible to create a program that is able to simulate all of physics. Every single rule of the universe would be programmed into a computer, into a single program. A new universe can therefore be created; a digital universe. Since it's still within the realm of our computer, it would be possible to create and destroy matter (since the matter is really technically energy. If you want to really play fair, just start out with a lot of matter and do with it what you will). The programmer would designate a large empty space as an area protected from interference, and would throw enough of the right proportions of matter to form, as we understand, a solar system. Each and every atom would be kept track of, to make sure that each atom follows the rules of the universe. Any cosmic rays can simply be simulated from the outside (without having to waste computational power by actually creating their source).
Since we're doing this on an all powerful computer, we can speed up time inside the virtual universe. So we do, and time goes on, and, if we've planned the formation correctly, a habitable world would form in our solar system. Letting time speed by (really, we're violating several laws of physics here since we're sort of predicting the future using information about atoms that we can track. But in the computer, it isn't real physics, just the physics you designate, which happen to be the same as real physics. The fact that we CAN track all of these atoms denotes that we can predict the future and simply jump to any point in the virtual future we wish), we watch as life is formed on a planet in the solar system. This helps to solve if evolution is real or not once and for all (which is ironic, since this universe was actually created). We watch as our life forms grow, speeding up time as we see fit, until at last, we reach the point where we are observing intelligent life. We slow time to our normal speed to watch the sentient beings.
Of course, we will have the ability to enter this virtual world. It's not difficult; simple hook our senses up to a machine that places a virtual body in the world. We can interact if we so wish, learn their language, even tell them the nature of their existence. If technology allows (bioprinters), we can even bring them into our world.
Here we find ethical issue, however. Do these creatures have souls (if such things exist)? If we bring them into the physical world, wouldn't we just be making a copy?
Assuming they do have souls, simply copying the mind of the creature would prove difficult. It would have only one soul for two minds, and perhaps said soul could not travel to the real world body. Making a perfect copy within the virtual world, however, should create a being exactly like the original. How would the soul accomplish such a feat as using two bodies?
I think that this hypothetical experiment shows that it impossible for a soul to exist, unless it is an unquantifiable object that has no mass. Even then, how can a soul be in two places at once without being two souls? Even if it could, would such a creature (two bodies, one soul) have conscious control over two bodies?
Someone else give me their thoughts! Thank for you for letting me ramble.
