Simulation Theory

Time is emergent from the simulation's computational processes — it does not exist independently but is generated by the underlying program. Its extent is both finite and infinite depending on the simulation's parameters, and it can branch or reverse if the simulator permits. Time is continuous within the simulation but may be discrete at the computational substrate level. The observer experiences time as programmed.

Space is emergent — it is a rendered environment generated by the simulation's code rather than an independently existing container. Its curvature is undefined because the simulation could implement any geometry. Space is local within the rendered environment but non-local at the code level, where distant regions are equally accessible to the simulator.

Matter is emergent — it is data rendered as physical objects within the simulation. It is finite within the rendered environment and conserved by the simulation's programmed rules. Matter is non-local in the deeper sense that the simulation can instantiate, move, or delete any object regardless of spatial constraints.

Energy is emergent — a computed quantity within the simulation, governed by whatever rules the simulator has programmed. Conservation holds as a design choice, not a fundamental necessity. Dispersibility is irreversible within the simulation's programmed thermodynamics.

Information is the fundamental substrate of reality — the universe IS a computation. Reality is made of information the way a video game is made of data. It is discrete because computation operates on finite bits.