When journalist Loïc Hecht published La Simulation via publisher Les Arènes, the book immediately triggered an enthusiastic wave of media appearances across major French outlets including Quotidien, Le Point, Marianne, L’Obs, Legend, and Les Inrocks. The narrative-driven essay explores the concept that our reality is an elaborate computer simulation—an idea popularized by Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom in 2003 and later championed by tech figures like Elon Musk. Yet, according to critics and scientific evaluations, the book’s reception highlights a broader cultural trend where speculative entertainment is mistaken for rigorous journalistic investigation.

The Media Circuit and the Allure of the Matrix

Presented as an investigative work, La Simulation attracted widespread praise, with France Culture broadcaster Guillaume Erner calling it “one of the best books I’ve read in recent months.” Hecht’s promotional tour presented the hypothesis as a burgeoning paradigm shift supported by serious researchers on the West Coast of the United States. However, a close reading of the text reveals an absence of peer-reviewed research, formal laboratory studies, or consensus reviews from mainstream physics.

Overlooking Credible Philosophy for Fringe Figures

Rather than consulting academic authorities on the philosophy of mind and reality—such as researcher Alexandre Billon, who noted that philosophical reflections on reality bear little relation to the claims in the book—Hecht draws heavily on science-fiction authors, software developers, and fringe figures. The book’s framework recycles long-contested paranormal concepts, framing unexplained phenomena and psychic claims as “glitchs” or computer bugs within a simulated reality.

Parallels to Esoteric Thrillers and Stargate Controversies

A significant portion of the book focuses on validating the work of Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ, the figures behind the CIA-funded “Stargate” project of the 1970s. Puthoff, an engineer and Scientologist, and Targ pursued paranormal capabilities alongside Israeli illusionist Uri Geller. A 1988 report by the U.S. National Research Council concluded that Targ and Puthoff’s studies contained irremediable flaws, and the Stargate program was shuttered in 1995. Hecht also cites figures like Rupert Sheldrake and parapsychologist Robert Jahn, whose Princeton research faced sustained criticism for a lack of reproducibility.

Misascribing Quantum Physics

La Simulation leans heavily on quantum mechanics to argue for parallel realities, citing NASA researcher Richard J. Terrile. However, specialists in quantum interpretations note that these assertions misinterpret foundational principles established by Planck, Bohr, and de Broglie. Physicist and philosophy of science doctorate Jérémy Attard notes that quantum effects undergo phase decoherence at macroscopic scales, meaning everyday environments—including the human brain—do not exist in quantum superposition.

The Promotion of Unverified Health Claims

Perhaps the most contentious aspect of the book is its platforming of Tom Campbell, an octogenarian physicist with a master’s degree who promotes a virtual-reality “theory of everything.” Campbell suggests that focused mental intention can alter physical reality, proposing that individuals might use mental visualization to influence medical diagnoses, including malignant tumors. When questioned about these passages, Hecht conceded that the section on cancer warranted a warning, though he maintained that Campbell’s hypotheses remained narratively compelling.

Authorial Intent and the Defense of Personal Narrative

Confronted with critiques regarding scientific accuracy, Hecht has defended the work as a personal narrative rather than a scientific text, stating that he never presented his interviewees’ hypotheses as absolute truths or established facts. Nevertheless, the friction between the book's marketing as an investigation and its contents as personal speculation underscores ongoing questions regarding how media outlets vet extraordinary claims in popular non-fiction.