Are We Living Inside a Computer Simulation?

We will be meeting at the Southeast Regional Library in the Room C.

In this week’s SocraticSessions, we’ll explore one of philosophy’s most enduring questions: are we living in a simulation? From Descartes’ “evil demon” thought experiment to the modern idea of a brain connected to a machine, we’ll examine whether we can ever truly verify the nature of reality—or whether the tools we use to prove it, our senses, memories, and reasoning, could themselves be part of the illusion.

We’ll also consider a more practical question: if love, pain, connection, and meaning feel real to us, does it actually matter whether the world beneath those experiences is simulated? No prior philosophy background needed—just curiosity and a willingness to think out loud with others.

Event Themes:

-Why have people across history repeatedly questioned whether reality is truly what it appears to be?

-If your senses and memories could theoretically be fabricated, how could you prove that you are—or are not—living in a simulation?

-If a simulated experience is indistinguishable from a “real” one, does knowing the truth change how we should view or live our lives?