Creation Ex Nihilo and Mathematics

As I exercise, I listen to books on my iPod Touch. I had the pleasure of listening to The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos by Brian Greene. While I don't necessarily buy into what the book proposes, multiple kinds of infinite parallel universes, the book is delightful in expanding my imagination -- to lift it into other areas I never considered. Several topics explored in the book included the notion of simulated universes (exploring whether we are living in a simulated universe) and pure mathematical parallel universes.

The idea of a simulated universe can be thought of along the lines of philosopher Nick Bostrom's thoughts reported in Wikipedia:

i. It is possible that an advanced civilization could create a computer simulation which contains individuals with artificial intelligence (AI).

ii. Such a civilization would likely run many, billions for example, of these simulations (just for fun, for research or any other permutation of possible reasons).

iii. A simulated individual inside the simulation wouldn’t necessarily know that it is inside a simulation — it is just going about its daily business in what it considers to be the "real world."

 What is the likelihood that we are living inside a simulation?

Now, let's add the speculative idea of mathematics forming real universes -- that mathematics is the real ground in which we exist. Max Tegmark of MIT has postulated:

All structures that exist mathematically also exist physically. That is, in the sense that "in those [worlds] complex enough to contain self-aware substructures [they] will subjectively perceive themselves as existing in a physically 'real' world". (See the Wikipedia article on the Mathematical Universe Hypothesis).

One of the directions this takes is an ultimate form of reductionism. All of reality can be traced to mathematical forms and expressions. Yours and my thoughts, our consciousness, etc., as well as the rest of the universe can be explained in mathematical expressions and states -- and that is the essence of life, the universe, and everything.

Now, the question of how could the universe come into existence out of nothing, ex nihilo, takes an interesting twist. Imagine a sufficiently complex entity that exists independently of our space/time realm. This entity has always been. Mathematics is part of this entity's core. Personality and intelligence make up this entity -- and this entity makes the ultimate simulation by uttering, "Let there be light... ." The simulated universe springs into existence. It is so real to the inhabitants of this universe that there is no reason to take the universe as anything but real.

One of the interesting things about simulated universes is that it is possible in sufficiently rich and complex simulations for beings from the outside to enter into the simulation. It so happens, the simulation's creator sends his beloved Logos into the simulation (that in reality can be called the real universe). But the creator of the simulation and the Logos has, in a real ontological sense, a greater reality than all the inhabitants that live within the created universe.