The end of the world.

Virtual Reality. Nearly everyone has heard of it. The dorky helmets which let you see pseudo-3D images and things, and those video games like second life where you can fly around. That's not the kind of VR I'm about to talk about. I'm talking Matrix style, or like the Holodeck in Star Trek.

So just imagine... 50 years in the future and our technology has advanced to the point where we are able to create simulations that are indistinguishable from our current universe. Now, ignoring logistics, imagine that the known universe was mapped, atom by atom, or at least well enough that we could put this copy of our universe into the virtual reality simulation.

Then, if everyone in the world was connected to the virtual reality simulator, it would seem as though nothing had changed (ignoring, of course, the momentary break between mapping and connecting). As long as the virtual worlds were exactly the same as our own, we would notice no change. People would act like people, things would act like things. But, they wouldn't be real things, or real people, they would merely be digital representations of them. But, as long as it was done well enough, you wouldn't notice.

Now this is where it gets really interesting. Assuming that each virtual world could be manipulated, everyone could just be put on a deserted island and given whatever they wanted. It doesn't even have to be an island, it could be a cloud, or a palace; since it is only their world, it affects no one else, and technically there are no consequences.

So, we get this technology, hook everyone up, now what? Is there any point left in reproduction? If all aspects of of life are simulated, sex will be also. Instead of actual babies, we would get digital babies, and these digital babies could have normal lives, except they would be only digital lives.

Now what happens once everyone who was initially connected dies? There would still be billions of virtual worlds, except with no real person to "entertain". Could they be merely be switched off? Would it matter that the virtual babies would be killed? Are they even technically "living"?

So, I've got a hypothetical situation for the planned genocide of the entire human race. But before you lock me up, think about it. Everyone is happy (theoretically), no one is killed (except the virtual babies), and aside from all of the resources necessary to build the simulations, nothing is used. My entire scenario depends on whether the people care that they are in a simulation, which I assume that they do not; hey, they get cloud palaces.

I have more to say, but I'd better stop for tonight. I'm interested in hearing any feedback, even if you're telling me to leave the philosophy to Porter.