The Truman Show: It's True, Man!

By Stephen Davis

2023 is the 25th anniversary of the release of “The Truman Show” movie. If you haven’t seen the movie, starring Jim Carrey, go watch it NOW. It just might be the most important movie ever produced.

Why? Here’s what Aurora Eliam, for Reedsy Discovery, had to say....

Loved it!

In the book "The Truman Show: It's True, Man!" author Stephen Davis encourages readers to question beliefs and behaviors from an alternate perspective. This is a book for deep thinkers who enjoy exploring alternative avenues of thought abutted by philosophic principles and quantum physics.

Throughout the chapters Davis seeks to expand upon the nature of existence, focusing on scientific research. Are we living in a hologram? Are our experiences real, or are they merely an expression of the great myriad of possibilities available on this plane in this field of existence?

Initially, quantum physics drew me in, and the reference to the 90s film Wunderkid-turned-cultural staple, The Truman Show, solidified the choice. This book explores the movie's themes and the rationality of such a world.

I enjoyed the plentiful physics diagrams throughout the book and found them beneficial in making abstract concepts more concrete. The section on the holographic brain model was particularly interesting, and I found myself looking up more data for curiosity's sake. Really, do our brains know what will happen before conscious thought occurs?

I recommend this book to readers with an interest in quantum physics, alternate theories, and philosophy. Also, if you enjoyed the movie The Truman Show and are interested in its broader simulated reality themes, this book provides a judicial exploration of what "reality" really means.

Rating: 4 stars

* * *

And here’s what April Pulliam, Assistant Editor, Literary Titan had to say...

The Truman Show: It’s True, Man!, by Stephen Davis, is a thought-provoking journey into the intricacies of our perceived reality, intertwined with the thematic backdrop of The Truman Show. This book elegantly melds quantum physics, neuroscience, and philosophy to challenge our conventional understanding of the world and our actions within it.

Drawing inspiration from renowned physicists such as David Bohm, Leonard Susskind, Amit Goswami, and Jacob D. Bekenstein, the narrative opens with a profound question: Are we living in a hologram? The author carefully constructs a foundation for this concept, suggesting that our reality is an illusion, much like the constructed world of Truman Burbank. By paralleling these theories with the cult classic film, Davis skillfully encourages readers to rethink their lives within the context of a carefully orchestrated stage.

At its core, the book articulates the idea that our perceptions shape our reality, leading to a powerful hypothesis that our brains project the world “out there” for us to experience. The parallels to The Truman Show are striking, as Truman’s actions are controlled and influenced by those observing him. Davis’s work invites readers to scrutinize the authenticity of their daily lives and confront the possibility of there being no “out there” at all. It challenges our perception of reality and the agency we have over our actions, raising intriguing questions about the extent to which external observers may be orchestrating our lives, much like Truman’s creators did in the movie.

Overall, The Truman Show: It’s True, Man! is an engaging book in which readers are asked to question some fundamental understandings of the world around us. This book blurs the line between reality and illusion and compels us to revisit our beliefs about the world, the nature of our actions, and the extent to which external influences may shape our lives. I highly recommend The Truman Show: It’s True, Man! for anyone who likes books that feel ‘trippy’ and make you think about the world around you.

Rating: 5 Stars

~ April Pulliam, Assi

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephen Davis
• Release date: Sep 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215588833

Stephen Davis

Stephen Davis is America’s pre-eminent rock journalist and biographer, having written numerous bestsellers on rock bands including Watch You Bleed and the smash hit Hammer of the Gods. He lives in Boston.

Book preview

The Truman Show:

It’s True, Man!

By Stephen Davis

Copyright 2023 © by Stephen Davis

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Foreword

PART ONE ― THE HOLOGRAM

Preface To Part One

Chapter 1……ARE WE LIVING IN A HOLOGRAM?

Chapter 2……THERE IS NO OUT THERE OUT THERE.

Chapter 3……DRS. PRIBRAM, LIBET, and RADIN

Chapter 4……WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

Chapter 5……MORE ABOUT THE HOLOGRAM

Chapter 6……WE ARE PART OF THE HOLOGRAM

PART TWO ― THE DEMIURGE

Preface To Part Two

Chapter 7……WE ARE NOT GOD

Chapter 8……REACTIONS AND RESPONSES

Chapter 9……ARE YOU AN INFLUENCER?

Chapter 10…..THE POKER HAND

PART THREE ― PERCEPTIONS

Preface To Part Three

Chapter 11…..THE BIOLOGY OF BELIEF

Chapter 12…..THE CRUCIFIXION

Chapter 13…..JUDGMENT

Chapter 14…..FEAR

Chapter 15…..BACK TO THE TRUMAN SHOW

Epilogue

APPENDICES

Appendix A…..THE SIMULATION HYPOTHESIS

Appendix B…..DANCES WITH WHALES

Appendix C…..THE APEX PLANET

Endnotes

FOREWORD

Table of Contents

I am not an expert in quantum physics, or the holographic universe, or a trained movie critic, or anything else like that. I am simply someone who reads what the physics experts are saying and uses standard logic to draw conclusions from their statements. I guess the best description is that I am an investigative reporter passing along information that seems to be important if what the experts are saying is true.

I would like to thank some very generous people who have helped support my research for many years, much like the benefactors who supported the arts and artists of the Renaissance. The list includes H.P. and Dr. Janine Dubke, Dr. and Mrs. Roger Barnes, Carmelita Rodriguez, Michelle Sherrill, Dr. Carl and Helen Hartmann, Dr. Matt Manka, and Dennis Taylor, along with my children Christopher Davis, Bryan Davis, and Catheryn McCraw.

Special thanks to Debra Manka for her skillful editing, and…

in loving memory of

Dr. Heide Hartmann-Davis-Taylor

and Dr. Ray Goddard

PART ONE:

THE HOLOGRAM

PREFACE TO PART ONE

Table of Contents

If you haven’t seen the movie, The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey, close this book now and go watch it. And it doesn't matter whether you watch the original 1998 version, the Special Edition version, or the 25th Anniversary version. Just watch whatever you can find.

Once you’ve seen the movie, this book is going to try to convince you that the movie is the closest thing to The Truth ― the most accurate explanation of how our world actually works ― that has even been written, produced, or offered to humanity in any form by any one at any time. In fact, the most recent research in physics is proving that Andrew Niccol, who wrote the screenplay for The Truman Show, may be one of the greatest prophets of our era ― although he apparently is unaware of it.

Here's part of a 2023 ScreenRant interview with Andrew Niccol 25 years after he wrote the screenplay….

Andrew Niccol: When I first conceived of the film, there wasn’t any so-called reality television. (The first episode of The Real World aired when we were in post-production.) I say so-called because I’ve always thought Truman is the only genuine reality star because when you know there's a camera, there is no reality. What I guess I’m a bit surprised about is that we would become our own Trumans, turning the camera on ourselves and cataloging every aspect of our own lives willingly.

SR: I know Peter Weir coming on to direct and Jim Carrey starring in it really influenced the final product, but you were along for the ride the whole time. What were your favorite memories of collaborating with them and moments you felt really became movie magic?

Andrew Niccol: I’ve always thought the premise was bullet-proof and even though the original script is set in an alternate version of New York City (if you can fake it there, you can fake it anywhere), I was happy to embrace Peter’s more idyllic, small-town take on a counterfeit world. As for a memory, I tend to hold onto one image in every film I do… a moment that somehow sustains me through a shoot. On The Truman Show, it was Truman touching the sky. (If you can’t trust the veracity of the sky, the moon and the stars, then surely nothing is real.) The moment meant so much to me, I worried that it wouldn’t live up to my imagining of it. It exceeded it. Jim played it with simplicity and purity and, dare I say, truth that gave me chills. I don’t think Peter did many takes. No need.

SR: Would you ever consider a sequel, chronological or spiritual, or a remake in the present day? Is that something you would want to see anyone attempt, or do you want it to stand on its own?

Andrew Niccol: There has been talk of doing a musical — believe it or not — or a series. When it’s a different art form, I don’t think it takes anything away from the original. In my version of a series, I thought it would be fun, if after Truman walked through the sky, the audience clamored for more (which you sense at the end of the film). I imagine there would be a network with multiple channels all starring a subject born on the show. If I set it in New York City, there would be a girl living on the Upper East Side, a boy from Harlem, a kid from Chinatown, etc. Since they are all on their own channel and move in their own circles, they are never meant to meet. But at the end of the first season, the boy from Harlem and the rich girl find themselves drawn to each other. They both sense that the other is acting differently from anyone they’ve ever met… because for the first time, they’ve met someone who is not acting! (In the second season, the Network would desperately try to kill off their romance.)

SR: I know there have been some wild theories about what The Truman Show is really about, but what has been your favorite fan response or theory in the last 25 years?

Andrew Niccol: Well, there’s one sad and somewhat alarming response that people started believing that they actually were the star of their own reality show. It’s an actual psychological condition called a Truman Show Delusion or Truman Syndrome. The most bizarre fan letter I received was from someone who was convinced that the film was a pro-life metaphor. Truman represented a fetus; the domed soundstage was a womb and he was sailing to freedom across a uterine sea. (I kid you not.)¹

There are some key sentences in that interview I’d like to spend a little more time on…

"I say ‘so-called’ [reality television] because I’ve always thought Truman is the only genuine reality star because when you know there's a camera, there is no reality." So, take that, Kardashians!

"But at the end of the first season, the boy from Harlem and the rich girl find themselves drawn to each other. They both sense that the other is acting differently from anyone they’ve ever met… because for the first time, they’ve met someone who is not acting!" As we continue in this book, we’re going to see just how prophetic Niccol is with this statement!

"Well, there’s one sad and somewhat alarming response that people started believing that they actually were the star of their own reality show. It’s an actual psychological condition called a Truman Show Delusion or Truman Syndrome."

It’s true. There are unofficial DSM diagnoses like a Truman Show Delusion or a Truman Syndrome which are defined as a type of delusion in which the person believes that their life is a staged reality show, or that they are being watched on cameras. (Wikipedia)

And just to be clear, that’s NOT what this book is suggesting ― although, as a 2013 article in Popular Science magazine pointed out, "In a world where the government really does have the capability to broadly and furtively spy on its citizens, it’s suddenly delusional to not think Big Brother is watching… or as author Joseph Heller wrote in Catch-22, ‘Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.’"²

Niccol himself admits he frequently experiences what he calls Trumanesque moments. Terrible acting. Incongruous casting. Sloppy art direction and set design. Continuity errors. Generally inept production management. And he doesn’t mean anything happening on a set or on a screen. He means daily life. For example, in a British Film Institute interview: There’ll be a traffic jam, for instance, for no reason, Niccol says. In my mind, the reason is actually that Christof [the all-powerful, demiurge director of The Truman Show] isn’t ready for the next scene…. Or I’ve acted out of character and gone into some equestrian supply store, which I never would do. And they think I never would either, so they’re not prepared; and I realize that the extra standing there pretending to be running the store knows nothing about that particular store. So, they’re either extras or an actor ― they’ve got no dialogue; they don’t know how to talk to me. For me that’s what I call Truman-esque moments.…. I can’t tell you how long I’ve felt this way,’ he says. ‘I can never truly escape the idea.’³

You can find any number of so-called film critics on the internet who will offer their own speculation about The Truman Show and what it represents. Here’s just one example from The Atlantic magazine: The film culminates in a hectic collision of metaphors: for religion, for politics, for the question of what the individual owes to the collective, and vice versa. Truman struggles to be himself in an environment built to enclose him.⁴

But that’s not what this book is about either. Despite what everyone else will tell you, there’s no metaphor in The Truman Show that needs to be deciphered; there’s no hidden meaning lurking behind the scenes that needs to be uncovered and explained. Everything you need to know about The Truman Show is staring you in the face from the screen right there in front of you, in plain English. It’s about the fact that for the first time in human history, someone is showing us how our world really works. And it isn’t what every religion in history has claimed, or every philosopher, or even every poet. But it is very possibly, finally, The Truth, and we need to pay attention, because the Truth has ramifications that we must become aware of and then change our behavior accordingly. If we continue to ignore The Truth, we do so at our own peril.

So, let’s start diving into The Truth and figure out what I’m talking about….

CHAPTER 1:

ARE WE LIVING IN A HOLOGRAM?

Table of Contents

What you are about to read is shocking and admittedly has not been proven yet. But most of Einstein’s theories ― now widely accepted ― weren’t proved during his lifetime either. So, allow yourself to at least consider the possibilities you are going to read because they may well become mainstream in a few years and you will have to change your beliefs and your life accordingly, either now or then….

SHOCKER #1: According to some of the most well-respected and well-known physicists in the world, and based on the latest research, we are living in a hologram: Our reality is a virtual image, an illusion that isn’t real.

Described as one of the most significant theoretical physicists of the 20th century, David Bohm was an American-Brazilian-British scientist who believed "that objective reality does not exist, that despite its apparent solidity, the universe is at heart a phantasm, a gigantic and splendidly detailed hologram."⁵

Amit Goswami is a theoretical nuclear physicist and member of The University of Oregon Institute for Theoretical Physics since 1968…. "Quantum mathematics — which is, in our belief, the most fundamental mathematics, the most accurate mathematical description of nature that we have discovered — this mathematics shows us clearly that the movements of objects are describable only in terms of possibilities, not the actual events that happen in our experience." ⁶

And here is what Dr. Leonard Susskind, professor of theoretical physics at Stanford University, said in one of his lectures in 2011…

"There’s a quote that I like… very much that comes from a famous intellectual by the name of Sherlock Holmes,