Back in 2008, a motherlode  of western lowland gorillas was discovered by scientists in the remote, inaccessible regions of the Congo. As a lifelong admirer of Steve Irwin and his wildlife conservation efforts, I was overjoyed by the news. I closely followed the subsequent efforts to study these magnificent creatures and was particularly intrigued by the methodology adopted. Initially, every possible precaution was taken to ensure no direct contact with them. They were, for the most part, unaware that they were being observed. This has been a standard approach in wildlife research for a long time now. This news, and the global attention it received, resurfaced in my mind recently amid the discussion and furor surrounding the arrival of 3i/Atlas . It was not merely this latest interstellar object that prompted the connection, but the broader sequence of events that some scientists, notably Dr. Avi Loeb  . The similarity between Dr. Loeb’s hypothesis and the earlier example of w...

Even though I am not qualified to discuss deeper cosmological and philosophical questions, I am always fascinated by these topics. For example, ever since I heard about the big bang in school, I have always wonderd that what was there before big bang?! I am sure all the great minds in cosmology are working hard to find an answer to this question. But my mind was blown when I learned that there is a Hymn from Rigveda that precisely asks these questions. That proved two things, first, this question, how everything started is unanswered for millenia. And secondly, the people who asked it at least 4500 years ago were not primitive by any measure.  Asking questions like this shows a certain level of advanced thinking. Excusing myself for a little detour I would like to take this opportunity to point out that this has been a theme in the ancient vedic texts. The vedic texts are a treasure trove for philosophical discussions. Moving back to the topic, this hymn from Rigveda is in the 10t...

Abstract     Money has become an indispensable part of humanity for at least a few millennia in some form or the other. The concept of money has evolved through the ages from barter to bitcoins. However, compared to the age and the expanse of the universe this time is nothing more than a blink of an eye. Therefore, one must think about the position the money has taken in the development of our civilization. Today, all the technological developments like medicines, space exploration and newer sources of energy are held hostage to the mighty dollar. This raises a serious question, is money really a motivating factor or it is holding back any meaningful technological evolution? Has the concept of money become outdated? In this article we will explore how money has played a role of the motivating factor for technological evolution and how it has become the glass ceiling too tough to break.    I. Introduction - A Brief History of Money   Concept of money predates the...

Fermi Paradox and the Simulation Hypothesis Is our reality a sandbox game?  Abstract:- In the third article of the series on simulation hypothesis, we are set to explore another prominent feature of the world of video games and its relation to the famous (or infamous?) Fermi Paradox. The Fermi paradox asks an awkward question about the stark contrast in the number of potentially habitable words present around us and an absolute zero tangible evidence of life (intelligent or otherwise) on any of these worlds. In this article, we will discuss in brief about the so-called paradox and how simulation hypothesis can offer a solution to that. 

Simulation Hypothesis and the Development of Artificial Intelligence An infinite loop of realities or simulations Abstract:- In continuation of the first article , this article is dedicated to a different aspect of the simulation hypothesis. This article focuses on two aspects, one assumption that the simulation hypothesis is true and the development of artificial intelligence in this so-called 'reality'. Artificial intelligence, its development and all the possibilities arising from its development have become an indispensable part of any discussion on the future of humanity and technology. It becomes awe-inspiring when the development of AI is mixed up with consciousness. This looks like the simulation hypothesis all over again. In this article, we will look at some of the questions that arise from this premise. I. Introduction Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the latest developments of technology and it has already become an integral part of human evolution. An...

Simulation Hypothesis as Perceived by a Hindu A comparison with the ancient Hindu philosophy of 'Advaita' Abstract:- Since time immemorial humans have pondered on one fundamental question, 'who are we?'. Over time, this question has then branched into many offshoots from 'why do we exist' to 'are we alone?'. But, the essence of the human inquisitiveness can be traced back to the realisation of self-consciousness and the one fundamental question. People have tried to find answers to this question using a gamut of approaches. Religion and Science are the two extremes between which all these approaches can be bracketed. In the last few years scientists, philosophers and visionaries have given serious thought to the idea of one of the possible solutions to the fundamental question and that is if this universe or reality is a simulation of some kind? This article tries to find some uncanny similarities between two seemingly opposing approaches to t...