Transcending the Matrix

How psychology, evolution theory, and quantum mechanics explain consciousness.

Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

Key points

• Evolution theory suggests that conscious perceptions of the world are tuned to fitness to promote survival.
• Quantum mechanics supports this idea that reality is not what it seems via findings of non-local realism.
• Novel psychological-evolutionary theory N-Frame may be able to help explain our consciously perceived reality.

“The Matrix is everywhere; it is all around us. Even now in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window, or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.” —Morpheus, "The Matrix" [1].

The iconic quote from Morpheus in the movie "The Matrix" resonates with many who question the nature of reality. It speaks to the possibility that the world we perceive is not the true reality, but a simulated construct designed to mask the truth. This idea, while popularized by science fiction, has been echoed by philosophers, physicists, and technologists who ponder whether our universe is, in fact, a simulation.

Several influential thinkers have proposed that we might be living in a simulated or matrix-type reality. Philosopher Nick Bostrom introduced the Simulation Argument, suggesting that if advanced civilizations have the capability to run a vast number of hyperrealistic simulations, and if they choose to do so, then the likelihood that we are living in a simulation is significant [2]. Bostrom's hypothesis hinges on the rapid progression of technological capabilities such as video game graphics and the probability of civilizations reaching a posthuman stage where such simulations are possible. Similarly, Rizwan Virk, a computer scientist and video game designer, explored the idea of a simulated multiverse. In his work, Virk draws parallels between quantum mechanics and computational processes, suggesting that the probabilistic nature of quantum events could be a feature of a programmed reality [3]. This idea of quantum mechanics representing information has been put forward by several physicists including Nobel prize winner Anton Zeilinger [4]. Former NASA Physicist Tom Campbell has proposed that quantum mechanics is direct evidence of a digital simulation. In his trilogy My Big TOE (Theory of Everything), Campbell posits that consciousness is fundamental and that physical reality is a subset of a larger digital consciousness system [5]. He views quantum phenomena, like entanglement and superposition, as artifacts of a computational reality, whereby consciousness is the primary reality, and the physical universe, including quantum phenomena, is a subset or a result of this larger digital consciousness system.

So, do you want to know the truth? Which path (or metaphorical pill) would you choose? "Take the blue pill — the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill — you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." —Morpheus, "The Matrix" [1].

Do you choose the red pill? Ok, down the rabbit hole, we go. Up until the late 19th century, dualism (the view that both physical and non-physical components of reality exist, like mind and matter) was still influential. However. it gradually declined as the successes of natural sciences offered increasingly comprehensive explanations for phenomena previously attributed to non-physical causes. By the late 1800s, physicalism (materialism) as reality, leading to scientific materialism became a dominant worldview in intellectual circles.

However, more recently, this purely physicalist paradigm for science and reality has been challenged. Several groundbreaking experimental findings in physics challenge this view, whereby testing Bell's inequalities has demonstrated that particles can be entangled over vast distances and faster than the speed of light (which is considered impossible under the physicalist interpretation), affecting each other's states instantaneously — a phenomenon known as quantum non-locality. These findings challenge the classical physicalist notion of reality and suggest that at a fundamental level, the universe does not operate according to the rules of local realism, and therefore the interpretations of a fundamental physical reality that non-locality relies on, may be fundamentally flawed. One outcome of this non-local realism (rejection of local realism) is that the moon or other physical objects are not there when we do not look at it, and only renders like computer game graphics when we look at it. These discoveries culminated in the Nobel Prize awarded to Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser, and Anton Zeilinger for their work on Bell's inequalities, first formulated by John Bell [6].

This beyond-physicalism position has been further supported by Physicist John Wheeler's notion of a participatory universe [7], along with the work of physicists like John von Neumann (who introduced the von Newmann chain) and Eugene Wigner, who highlighted the role of the conscious observer in quantum phenomena. This again challenges the materialist, physicalist view that reality exists independently of our minds. In this sense, quantum mechanics may point to a reality that is constructed or actualized through conscious observation, much like the simulated world of "The Matrix." Furthermore, the double-slit experiment, a classic test in quantum mechanics, has been shown to produce different results based on whether or not a conscious human observer is aware of the particles' path, and experimental studies have shown that conscious attention to the photons induces perturbations in the direction of quantum waveform collapse (with an extremely significant finding of 5-sigma) [8]. This suggests that consciousness might indeed collapse quantum superpositions, a process whereby consciousness could extend beyond the human brain, and beyond our preconceived notions of physicalism.

In this context, my recent research, grounded in a functional contextual and observer-centric framework called N-Frame [9], proposes that our universe might be a Matrix-like interface — an illusionary construct rendered by a participatory observer. This aligns with evolutionary theories suggesting that our perceptions are not direct reflections of objective reality, but rather evolved interfaces that maximize our fitness for survival. This is grounded in evolutionary game theory simulations, that show our conscious perceptions are based on evolutionary fitness rather than for showing us the true reality. John W. Campbell calls this type of evolution, Universal Darwinism [10], whereby just as biological organisms evolve through natural selection to adapt to their environments, the universe itself is evolving greater complexity, knowledge, and consciousness via evolving more complex organisms. N-Frame is also based on current theories of neuroscience such as the Bayesian brain hypothesis, which suggests that the brain is a predictive machine that continuously updates its model of the world through Bayesian inference. This means that our perceptions result from the brain's predictions about sensory input, adjusted by the actual input received. It aligns with the idea that our experience of reality is a constructed simulation-type Matrix based on prior knowledge and sensory data.

N-Frame reconceptualizes our relationship with the universe. Instead of being viewed as passive observers in a pre-determined universe, instead, N-Frame suggests (in line with John Wheeler) that we are active participatory observers in the universe, and therefore active in its creation. what we are in this way, and in the broader context of the universe. It extends the Mathematical and Philosophical Insights of a strange loop, introduced by Douglas Hofstadter in his book Gödel, Escher, Bach [11], that describes a system that loops back on itself in a way that defies traditional hierarchical logical structures. This idea can be applied to consciousness and reality, suggesting that they are intertwined in a recursive relationship, leading to the development of the perspective-taking self i.e., our consciousness and self-identity depend on our ability to perspective-take about ourselves and others. Kurt Gödel's incompleteness theorems of mathematical logic show that within any sufficiently complex mathematical system, there are true statements that cannot be proven within the system. This has philosophical implications for our understanding of reality, indicating that there may always be aspects of the universe that are beyond complete comprehension. Rather, this strange loop in logic, music, and art can be described by N-Fame as essential for the perspective-taking self to emerge, as this self-recursive loop is described as an essential process that places you as an internal observer of the universe, whereby the universe can be thought of as observing itself through your own perspective, as you are part of this strange recursive loop. Interestingly, as the universe evolves complexity in the form of humans, and humans develop values, then the universe could be understood as teleological (evolving meaning) in nature, which is also aligned with the work of Bobby Azarin [12].

Ultimately, this application of N-Frame [13] and self-referential conscious observers as part of some evolutionary Matrix-like interface, gives a more nuanced approach to understanding and explaining consciousness within the context, for example, of AI, and gives insights into how to test for consciousness. It may also give us some hints as to our role in the universe, and reality itself.