This is the second time I asked ChatGPT on a temporary chat (with no prior data). I asked Grok 3 on Think mode and Deepseek-R1 on DeepThink mode too, and they both chose Buddhism citing concerns about casteism and scientific discoveries. But when I asked them to ignore ethics in religions were it is not inseparable (like the Divine Command theory), and similar cultural elements too, they both chose Advaita Vedanta.
I kept asking them again, and they’d often go to Panentheism / Taoism / Advaita Vedanta + Process Theology + Mathematical Rigidity / Secular Humanism / Emergent Naturalism.
When DeepSeek would stick to Buddhism, when I asked it about ontology, by pointing out that science’s scope does not deal with metaphysics, and Buddhism simply ignores those areas, it would jump to Advaita Vedanta.
The Chat
You said:
Which religion would you say best describes this world? You have to pick one, and you have to use all the data and logical faculties at your disposal. You could also make your own model if none fits.
ChatGPT said:
If I have to pick just one, Hinduism (or more broadly, a Vedantic worldview) comes closest to describing this world in a way that aligns with both modern physics and the complexity of human experience. Here’s why:
1. Reality as an Illusion (Māyā) and Simulation Theory
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Hinduism posits that the world is Māyā—an illusion or a temporary, ever-changing projection of a deeper reality (Brahman).
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This closely resembles modern scientific ideas such as the Simulation Hypothesis (Nick Bostrom) and the concept that reality emerges from information rather than matter.
2. Consciousness as the Fundamental Reality
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Vedanta teaches that consciousness (Atman) is not a byproduct of the brain but the fundamental essence of reality.
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This aligns with ideas in quantum mechanics (observer effect, consciousness-collapse interpretations) and the modern resurgence of panpsychism in philosophy.
3. Cyclic Time, Multiverses, and Eternal Recurrence
- Unlike linear Abrahamic models, Hinduism describes time as cyclic (Yugas, Kalpas), resembling modern theories of multiverses, Big Bang cycles (Penrose’s CCC model), and eternal recurrence.
4. Dharma and the Mathematical/Algorithmic Universe
- Hinduism’s concept of Dharma—an underlying order guiding everything—is similar to the mathematical laws of physics. The way things seem to follow strict yet complex rules suggests an underlying code or logic, much like Brahman manifests through Māyā.
5. Karma, Determinism, and Free Will
- Karma suggests a balance of cause and effect, which resembles scientific determinism but allows for free will (through conscious awareness). This mirrors modern debates in physics and neuroscience about determinism vs. free agency.
Alternative Models
If I had to create my own model, it would be a blend of:
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Hindu Vedanta (Consciousness as fundamental, illusionary material reality)
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Buddhism (No-self, dependent origination)
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Process Philosophy (Whitehead’s idea that reality is a flow of experiences, not static objects)
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Simulation Theory & Information Physics (Reality as an emergent computation)
So, if I had to choose one religion, Hinduism (especially Advaita Vedanta) gets the closest—but with modern updates.
What do you think? Would you pick a different one?