Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy
Title | Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy PDF eBook |
Author | David J. Chalmers |
Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
Total Pages | 544 |
Release | 2022-01-25 |
Genre | Philosophy |
ISBN | 0393635813 |
A leading philosopher takes a mind-bending journey through virtual worlds, illuminating the nature of reality and our place within it. Virtual reality is genuine reality; that’s the central thesis of Reality+. In a highly original work of “technophilosophy,” David J. Chalmers gives a compelling analysis of our technological future. He argues that virtual worlds are not second-class worlds, and that we can live a meaningful life in virtual reality. We may even be in a virtual world already. Along the way, Chalmers conducts a grand tour of big ideas in philosophy and science. He uses virtual reality technology to offer a new perspective on long-established philosophical questions. How do we know that there’s an external world? Is there a god? What is the nature of reality? What’s the relation between mind and body? How can we lead a good life? All of these questions are illuminated or transformed by Chalmers’ mind-bending analysis. Studded with illustrations that bring philosophical issues to life, Reality+ is a major statement that will shape discussion of philosophy, science, and technology for years to come.
Experience Machines
Title | Experience Machines PDF eBook |
Author | Mark Silcox |
Publisher | Rowman & Littlefield |
Total Pages | 242 |
Release | 2017-07-17 |
Genre | Philosophy |
ISBN | 1786600692 |
In his classic work Anarchy, State and Utopia, Robert Nozick asked his readers to imagine being permanently plugged into a 'machine that would give you any experience you desired'. The authors in this volume re-evaluate the merits of Nozick’s argument, and use it to examine subsequent developments in culture and technology.
The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality
Title | The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality PDF eBook |
Author | Michael Heim |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Total Pages | 200 |
Release | 1994-10-27 |
Genre | Computers |
ISBN | 0198024320 |
Computers have dramatically altered life in the late twentieth century. Today we can draw on worldwide computer links, speeding up communications by radio, newspapers, and television. Ideas fly back and forth and circle the globe at the speed of electricity. And just around the corner lurks full-blown virtual reality, in which we will be able to immerse ourselves in a computer simulation not only of the actual physical world, but of any imagined world. As we begin to move in and out of a computer-generated world, Michael Heim asks, how will the way we perceive our world change? In The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality, Heim considers this and other philosophical issues of the Information Age. With an eye for the dark as well as the bright side of computer technology, he explores the logical and historical origins of our computer-generated world and speculates about the future direction of our computerized lives. He discusses such topics as the effect of word-processing on the English language (while word-processors have led to increased productivity, they have also led to physical hazards such as repetitive motion syndrome, which causes inflamed hand and arm tendons). Heim looks into the new kind of literacy promised by Hypertext (technology which allows the user to link audio and video elements, the disadvantages including disorientation and cognitive overload). And he also probes the notion of virtual reality, "cyberspace"--the computer-simulated environments that have captured the popular imagination and may ultimately change the way we define reality itself. Just as the definition of interface itself has evolved from the actual adapter plug used to connect electronic circuits into human entry into a self-contained cyberspace, so too will the notion of reality change with the current technological drive. Like the introduction of the automobile, the advent of virtual reality will change the whole context in which our knowledge and awareness of life are rooted. And along the way, Heim covers such intriguing topics as how computers have altered our thought habits, how we will be able to distinguish virtual from real reality, and the appearance of virtual reality in popular culture (as in Star Trek's holodeck, William Gibson's Neuromancer, and Stephen King's Lawnmower Man). Vividly and entertainingly written, The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality opens a window on a fascinating world that promises--or threatens--to become an integral part of everyday life in the 21st century. As Heim writes, not only do we face a breakthrough in the technology of computer interface, but we face the challenge of knowing ourselves and determining how the technology should develop and ultimately affect the society in which it grows.
Constructing the World
Title | Constructing the World PDF eBook |
Author | David J. Chalmers |
Publisher | OUP Oxford |
Total Pages | 0 |
Release | 2014-01 |
Genre | Philosophy |
ISBN | 9780199608584 |
David J. Chalmers constructs a highly ambitious and original picture of the world, from a few basic elements. He returns to Rudolf Carnap's attempt to do the same, and adopts the idea of scrutability—according to which reasoning from a limited class of basic truths yields all truths about the world—to address central themes in philosophy.
The Ethics of Virtual and Augmented Reality
Title | The Ethics of Virtual and Augmented Reality PDF eBook |
Author | Erick Jose Ramirez |
Publisher | Routledge |
Total Pages | 267 |
Release | 2021-12-29 |
Genre | Philosophy |
ISBN | 1000517357 |
This book offers new ways of thinking about and assessing the impact of virtual reality on its users. It argues that we must go beyond traditional psychological concepts of VR "presence" to better understand the many varieties of virtual experiences. The author provides compelling evidence that VR simulations are capable of producing "virtually real" experiences in people. He also provides a framework for understanding when and how simulations induce virtually real experiences. From these insights, the book shows that virtually real experiences are responsible for several unaddressed ethical issues in VR research and design. Experimental philosophers, moral psychologists, and institutional review boards must become sensitive to the ethical issues involved between designing "realistic" virtual dilemmas, for good data collection, and avoiding virtually real trauma. Ethicists and game designers must do more to ensure that their simulations don’t inculcate harmful character traits. Virtually real experiences, the author claims, can make virtual relationships meaningful, productive, and conducive to welfare but they can also be used to systematically mislead and manipulate users about the nature of their experiences. The Ethics of Virtual and Augmented Reality will appeal to philosophers working in applied ethics, philosophy of technology, and aesthetics, as well as researchers and students interested in game studies and game design.
Get Real
Title | Get Real PDF eBook |
Author | Philip Zhai |
Publisher | Rowman & Littlefield |
Total Pages | 254 |
Release | 1998 |
Genre | Computers |
ISBN | 9780847689835 |
A fascinating look at the brave new world of virtual reality.
Ethnography and Virtual Worlds
Title | Ethnography and Virtual Worlds PDF eBook |
Author | Tom Boellstorff |
Publisher | Princeton University Press |
Total Pages | 264 |
Release | 2024-08-06 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 0691264856 |
A practical guide to the ethnographic study of online cultures, and beyond Ethnography and Virtual Worlds is the only book of its kind—a concise, comprehensive, and practical guide for students, teachers, designers, and scholars interested in using ethnographic methods to study online virtual worlds, including both game and nongame environments. Written by leading ethnographers of virtual worlds, and focusing on the key method of participant observation, the book provides invaluable advice, tips, guidelines, and principles to aid researchers through every stage of a project, from choosing an online fieldsite to writing and publishing the results. Provides practical and detailed techniques for ethnographic research customized to reflect the specific issues of online virtual worlds, both game and nongame Draws on research in a range of virtual worlds, including Everquest, Second Life, There.com, and World of Warcraft Provides suggestions for dealing with institutional review boards, human subjects protocols, and ethical issues Guides the reader through the full trajectory of ethnographic research, from research design to data collection, data analysis, and writing up and publishing research results Addresses myths and misunderstandings about ethnographic research, and argues for the scientific value of ethnography