The simulation hypothesis looks at the possibility that this world is a simulation - but this book from 1964 comes up with some points that are rarely mentioned. Way ahead of its time, this is also a pretty decent story.

The biggest thing missing from most of the times this hypothesis shows up is the why. The "battery" reason from the Matrix is pretty weak, and many other stories just dance around the problem. In this book, it is to act as a predictor for the future - especially political attitudes. The difference between concern that the citizens are being watched and actual paranoia is also smoothly addressed. And again, this was way before computers were capable of these calculations.

A minor quibble is the ending, unspoiled here - the key idea is introduced about 2/3 of the way through. Had that been there, in a subtle way, from the beginning, it would have been more satisfying. Or the author would have been [a:Philip K. Dick|4764|Philip K. Dick|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1633698608p2/4764.jpg], who specializes in that sort of thing. Still, a very minor quibble in a story half a century before its time. Worth tracking down!

PS Aspects of this book ended up in "The Thirteenth Floor", and fittingly it is the 13th book I finished this year. If only I had finished it on February 13!