You are an ‘avatar in a VR game,’ scientist claims—meaning reality isn’t what it truly seems
You are an ‘avatar in a VR game,’ scientist claims—meaning reality isn’t what it truly seems
- May 31, 2026
- Donald Hoffman, cognitive sciences, talks about his work with Popular Mechanics
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For Donald Hoffman, Ph.D., a cognitive scientist at the University of California, Irvine, this may be the best metaphor for reality itself. “We’re playing a multiplayer game,” he says. “My body is just an avatar in a VR game. It’s not the truth.” In Hoffman’s “interface theory” of perception, evolution shaped us not to perceive objective reality directly, but to experience a simplified survival interface.
For the full story, please visit Popular Mechanics.
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