In the late 90’s I imagined a future where beings who descended from humans would have more durable bodies and spend most of their lives in VR (virtual reality). But after many years of that they would crave greater challenges. Eventually they would become incapable of being surprised. So they might temporarily remove some of their memories… they would be born in VR without knowledge of how powerful they really are. But at death they might be reminded of their full power (to do anything they wish in VR) or they might have a hint of it. Also they mightn’t necessarily be born and manually live out their younger years in VR… they might just put some artificial memories in their virtual brain. BTW the VR wouldn’t neccessarily simulate the entire universe… it could use the concept of levels of detail (LOD) where it just simulates what is needed for things to seem real. So it would only simulate sub-atomic particles if you were watching them closely.
So anyway it is like the idea of playing hide and seek with your god-like nature…
Anyone have a similar idea to this?
Yes. But he can’t write them out because he isn’t allowed any sharp instruments.
It reminds me of a David Brin story, written as if the reader was one such person withdrawn into a simulated past and the story was a communication from outside that was being interpreted by the simulation as a work of fiction. Post-Humanity was collectively withdrawing into such fantasies of a more limited past because they had used up all possible experiences with their simulations and their superhuman thinking speeds, and with their equally superhuman memories knew they had. So more and more withdrew from reality and their own nature into a synthetic delusion of a simpler, more limited past. It was theorized that this is why we find no aliens; every species reaches such a peak and burns itself out.
“Reality Check” available for free on Brin’s web site worlds of DAVID BRIN
This also reminds me of some of Heinlein’s early work - “They” and a few scenes in “Beyond this Horizon”
Brin’s “Reality Check” is quite interesting… thankfully it is quite short. I disagree that there might be aliens though… if there were there would be some alien bacteria out there. I believe that there are a near-infinite number of parallel universes (like a like of astrophysicists do) and that means that anything that is theoretically possible, such as intelligent life appearing by chance, is inevitable somewhere. There would of course be universes where there are many kinds of intelligent life, but chances are that there is only one kind.
I’ve had this idea myself. With the ability to edit one’s own memories, immortality would never get boring (which is a common lament from some people who wouldn’t want to live indefinitely).
So the Matrix, but we voluntarily join? It makes me wonder if the machines actually did take over, and that wasn’t a fiction created to give those who leave the Matrix something to do.
BigT:
Another difference to the Matrix is that if you die in VR you wouldn’t die in real life.