It seems to be a thought experiment in torturing the inhabitants of a computer simulation. How else would you pose the question "Is this a reality that may be modeled, or a simulation of a model?" If it's a perfect simulation, there is literally no difference to the inhabitants. If it's not a perfect simulation, then the experiment being run is what differentiates this model? The answer is clearly those conscious of the problems with the model and how they react. And if a physicist ever seriously posits we're in a simulation, they had better have better evidence than "because humans are interesting".
Anyway, until we fuzz physics enough to detect inconsistencies in (e.g.) conservation of energy, this is an entirely fanciful and useless topic. If I may bring in Plato's allegory of the cave, it's fairly clear this line of thought is only useful if we can detect and/or manipulate it. Until then, it's fairly absurd to think what we may be "turning our back to" in the cave when we are unable to even figure out if we have a back.
Anyway, until we fuzz physics enough to detect inconsistencies in (e.g.) conservation of energy, this is an entirely fanciful and useless topic. If I may bring in Plato's allegory of the cave, it's fairly clear this line of thought is only useful if we can detect and/or manipulate it. Until then, it's fairly absurd to think what we may be "turning our back to" in the cave when we are unable to even figure out if we have a back.