Imagination in the simulation theory

Imagination and Simulation 

We build hypotheses, models, and alternate realities that reflect the design of the simulation. Humans can mentally create worlds within a larger simulation by using their imagination.

Humans create simulations (games, virtual worlds, AI models) using their imaginations. This illustrates a recursive pattern in which simulated entities generate their own simulations, implying that imagination is a crucial component of this recursion. According to simulation theory, imagination could serve as a control layer that allows ideas to affect perception and behavior, acting as an interface between consciousness and the simulated environment.

Simulation theory views imagination as a functional mechanism that enables conscious entities to model, navigate, and even "create" layers of reality, rather than merely being a whim. The distinction between what is "real" and what is "constructed" is weakened by imagination. Imagination gives dreams, virtual worlds, and thought experiments sensory depth, making them seem real.

Imagination as the Subjective experience of Reality

Depending on the viewpoint—technological, philosophical, or neurobiological—imagination acts as a link between objective facts and the individualized perception of a "world."

1. The idea of "Embodied Simulation"

Imagination may be a type of embodied simulation, according to recent cognitive science research. Imagination employs the same neural pathways as perception and action to "test" possibilities rather than being a distinct faculty.

• Functional Equivalence: According to motor simulation theory, even if the movement is suppressed, your brain still uses the same motor structures when you imagine performing an action, such as throwing a ball.

• Knowledge of Possibility: Imagination enables us to learn about what is objectively possible in our surroundings without having to physically carry out every action by simulating sensorimotor loops.

 2. The "Mindreading" method, the method according to social simulation theory, the main tool for mindreading—the capacity to comprehend the thoughts of others—is imagination. 

• By "running a program" on our own cognitive hardware to anticipate their emotions and behaviors, we are able to comprehend others by putting ourselves in their shoes. 

• Retrodictive Simulation: We use our imagination to deduce the mental states that must have led to a person's behavior.

3. Creativity and the "Boundary" of Actuality

Imagination plays a special role in how we understand the "code" of our world, according to the more radical Simulation Hypothesis, which holds that the entire universe is a computer simulation.

Aspect and Roles of Imagination

• Epistemology: It helps us deduce the shift from what is conceivable to what is possible by enabling us to imagine "possible worlds" outside of our sensory input.

• Self-Awareness: It is a "tinkering" process that creates new "mental objects" that mold our inner world and self-awareness by fusing stored perceptual information.

• Technological Potential: In order for machines to achieve a degree of "discovery" that is comparable to that of humans, they would probably need creative algorithms to come up with and test novel theories.

Reality Monitoring

Why we do not confuse imagination with reality is a central question in simulation theory. According to research, the brain uses subjective signal strength to differentiate between the two: signals that are generated internally (imagination) are typically weaker and less vivid than signals that are triggered externally (reality). Imagined signals have the potential to become subjectively indistinguishable from reality when they are powerful enough.

Imagination transforms passive existence into active participation by enabling people to create meaning, art, systems, and identities within reality, even if it is simulated.

Imagination drives questions like “What is beyond this reality?” or “Who created the simulation?” It encourages consciousness to explore deeper layers of existence beyond what we can see.

In a simulated reality, imagination works like an internal “rendering engine.” Just as a system creates environments, the mind fills gaps in perception, shaping how we experience reality rather than just receiving it.

Imagination is not merely a tool within the simulation; it may actually show how the simulation itself functions.

References

Agnati, L. F., Guidolin, D., Battistin, L., Pagnoni, G., & Fuxe, K. (2013). The neurobiology of imagination: Possible role of interaction-dominant dynamics and default mode network. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 296. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00296

Dijkstra, N., & Fleming, S. M. (2023). Subjective signal strength distinguishes reality from imagination. Nature Communications, 14, 1630. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37322-1

Jordan, Lucy, 'Mindreading by Simulation: The Roles of Imagination and Mirroring', Joint Ventures: Mindreading, Mirroring, and Embodied Cognition (New York, 2013; online edn, Oxford Academic, 27 May 2015), https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199874187.003.0006, accessed 21 Mar. 2026.

Jones, M., & Schoonen, T. (2024). Embodied simulation and knowledge of possibilities. Philosophical Psychology, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2024.2417990

O’Shea, H., & Moran, A. (2017). Does motor simulation theory explain the cognitive mechanisms underlying motor imagery? A critical review. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 11, 72. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00072

Stuart, M. T. (2019). The role of imagination in social scientific discovery: Why machine discoverers will need imagination algorithms. Synthese Library, 49-66. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23769-1_4