The Matrix Problem

In this post I'd like to outline what I think poses a problem for anyone claiming that an all-knowing deity created our universe. First off, I need to define some of the terms I will be using:

System: I use this word as a synonym of "Universe" and use it to describe everything that actually exists in a given realm.

Realm: I'm going to use this word to examine different possible systems. A familiar example of this is everything we call "natural" would exist in our realm and everything we think of as "supernatural" would exist in a higher realm. Some people think of this as a different "dimension".

Matrix: It would help if you've seen the movie, but basically I'm using the word matrix to describe a virtual system.

Ultimate System: An ultimate system could be called the "ultimate reality" and is the opposite of a matrix. It is a non-virtual system.

Okay, we got that out of the way, now let's take a leap down the proverbial rabbit hole. Try and imagine what an empty system would look like. This would be a system with no matter and no energy in it. No events take place in this system, so there is never a "before" or "after". As you try to imagine this vast emptiness are you imagining it with empty space? Does space exist in this empty system? I think it does, because space is not a thing. It doesn't really "exist" so to speak, it's just there.. with nothing in it. If you've ever worked in a 3-D modeling program, you know that before you add a sphere or a cube to the workspace your view is completely empty. You can zoom in and out and nothing actually changes. This is what I imagine an empty system would look like (empty!).

Now, I'll introduce the age old question: "Why is there something rather than nothing?". Usually this is asked concerning the beginning of our universe. This question implies that the default system is an empty system. We can imagine what an empty system looks like, but we can't really explain why it should be the "default" or why it should be the starting point. I'll come back to this later. Now I would like to discuss a virtual system or a "matrix" system.

Christians believe that "God" created our universe. Using my definitions above this would make our universe (our system) a matrix. Our realm would be a virtual reality created by a higher being and would not be an ultimate reality. "God" would then exist in a higher realm that Christians would say is the supernatural realm. This supernatural realm, they say, is the ultimate reality. The problem is that there is no way of knowing whether or not any given system is the ultimate system. This is the matrix problem. Anyone who lives inside a matrix has no way of knowing they are in one unless someone from outside the matrix tells them or takes them outside of the matrix and shows them. If this revelation never happens to you then you can assume one of two things:

1. You are in a matrix, but have no way of confirming it. 
2. You are not in a matrix, but instead exist inside an ultimate system.

If we are in a matrix created by God then God also would have no way of knowing whether or not he was in a matrix created by a higher God in a higher realm. If there is a creator of our system he is in the same boat as us, not knowing whether or not he was created from a higher realm. This is a problem for Christians who believe in a God that knows everything. Their God really has no way of knowing whether he was created or not.

If I create a virtual world on my computer and program some artificial intelligence to go along with some 3-D people in a land like Sim City and give them some advanced thinking abilities so that they start wondering whether or not they are in a matrix, this would add one more system to the layers of systems. There is no way the people in my matrix would know whether they are in a matrix or an ultimate system.

In light of this matrix problem, how should we proceed? Let's assume momentarily that God made our system. How should he proceed? Should he assume that his system is an ultimate system? What if his system was created by a higher God (HGod)? Perhaps HGod even created God as an eternal being within this system. Should God worry about this possibility? I would like to propose that unless HGod reveals himself to God,  God should not assume that HGod exists, since it is ultimately unknowable. What if God exists in a system with other deities and one of those deities claims that he has heard from HGod? Should God believe this other deity? What if there are several deities all claiming they have heard from different types of HGods? I think God should be skeptical of their claims because they could be lying or mistaken. Does this seem reasonable? I think we should apply the same skepticism to our own condition.

Should we then assume that our own system is an ultimate system? Personally I think this is unknowable, but I would leave this type of question to those who study our universe. Let people like Einstein and future geniuses try and figure out how our system actually works. We should not be surprised if the universe does not actually behave the way we intuitively think it should. Getting back to the empty system, our intuition tells us that the default system is an empty system. We think that the only reason something exists in our system is because it was formed from a previous state of nothingness. But what if an empty system is not actually possible? Perhaps our intuitions are wrong for thinking this way.

To summarize, it appears that no one can truly be all-knowing because it is logically impossible. You can never be certain whether you exist in a matrix or not. Even if you have always existed within your realm it is still possible that you were designed that way from a higher realm. I would also like to reiterate: Unless HGod reveals himself to God, God should not assume that HGod exists, since it is ultimately unknowable. The same applies to us as well.

Now I feel like watching the Matrix...

Reading between the lines

Please carefully read Genesis 3:14-19 before reading this post. You may not see it at first, but within these six verses of specific curses for Adam, Eve and a snake are a multitude of punishments beyond imagining. You have to look very closely to realize what is actually being said: The entire universe is cursed with countless curses because of Adam and Eve's disobedience.

Yes, that's right, because a talking snake persuaded Adam and Eve to eat some forbidden fruit everyone from that point forward will be born with sin and condemned to hell. You don't see that line? Look closer, it also says that from now on animals will eat animals and diseases will abound. Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes, famine, pestilence, floods, wildfires, blizzards, sink holes, avalanches, sand storms and cosmic collisions are all neatly tucked away behind this unbelievable passage. Fungus, mold, bacteria, mites, lice, ticks, mosquitoes, leaches and other harmful parasites were added to the earth for further punishment.

In short, everything bad was created at this point in time. All manner of suffering was now unleashed upon the earth. Certain hornets were created with decapitation claws for slicing the heads off of their honeybee prey. Sharks were given immense lethal jaws for wreaking havoc on the ocean's inhabitants. Lions and tigers were given large teeth perfect for shredding the flesh of grazing herbivores. On top of this, Earth's young population was introduced to sicknesses and disabilities that would become spread throughout all of the future generations. I won't list them all, but here are some that you have probably heard of: mental disabilities, blindness, deafness, heart conditions, polio, influenza, aids/hiv, scarlet fever, fatal allergies, multiple sclerosis, liver failure, leukemia, brain tumors, cerebral palsy, birth defects, cancers, malaria, ebolavirus, hepatitus, bubonic plague, alzheimers, parkinsons, autism, dementia, epilepsy, arthritis, schizophrenia, rickets, leprosy, diabetes, cholera, rabies, shingles, tuberculosis, smallpox, whooping cough, tetanus, well I think you get the idea.

How can a loving God allow all this suffering? Christians point to the verses I referenced above and say that it is all a result of sin entering the world. I don't know where they see this, but if I'm not mistaken the writer of Genesis left a few items off of the list. I think this is important because it's one of the most common questions Christians are asked: "Why so much suffering? and even for children and infants?" This important question is quickly answered and blamed on our free will and the curse of sin. That's a nice polished answer, but you won't find it recorded in Genesis. All it mentions are some very specific curses: snakes have to crawl and eat dust, women have to endure pain during child birth and men have to sweat and work the ground among thorns and thistles. It appears to me that Christian apologists beginning with Paul and everyone since have really stuffed a lot more into these passages then should be allowed. I think it's another example of how man-made the Bible really is and how it has been a work in progress all along, still being appended and reinterpreted to this day.