Virtual Reality: An Empirical-Metaphysical Testbed[1]

Abstract

If the medium is the message, what is the message of virtual reality (VR)? This article examines virtual reality communications media. Some forms of VR, for example immersive virtual reality, literally situate the user inside an informed computational space. The essence of VR is the inclusive relationship between the participant and the virtual environment. Communication takes place through direct experience in the immersive, digital environment. Thus, these environments may directly implicate what we can say about our very ability to know, that is, about consciousness itself. In this sense, VR brings metaphysical inquiry within the purview of an empirical testbed that conjoins human psychology, or the psychological “presence” of the knowing self, with configurable digital phenomena to define “there.” This essay argues that a fundamental message of VR may be to illumine timeless philosophical inquiries concerning the nature of knowing and being and thus direct our attention to what Aristotle called the eternal question: What is reality? VR directs our attention to the nature of reality by directing our attention to consciousness as the experience of being.

Another look at ‘being there’ experiences in digital media: Exploring connections of telepresence with mental imagery

“…On the basis of this perspective, there is certainly weight to the idea that even in empowered and highly immersive interfaces, like many prompted by digital media, users ultimately complete incoming information through mental imagery to fashion a compelling and cohesive environment (Jacobson, 2001; Lauria, 1997) -and they imagine being there (Coman and Rauh, 2003). It is not a surprise that value propositions offering hedonistic value, like many that come from digital media products, are designed to confuse and blend reality with fiction (Schultze and Orlikowski, 2010) and use mental imagery to whisk users off to alternative destinations (Bracken, 2005;Jones, 2007;Lauria, 1997;Wu, 2007). …”

Role of Virtual Education in Higher Education from the View of Existence Philosophy

“…But, along with these results, virtual education has changed the life pattern of teachers and students. For example, in order to satisfy their informational and even social needs they resort to virtual communications like chat and email (Laurie, 1997). The expansion of this flow and omitting the personal interaction between teacher and students is considered a challenge for the second aspect that is reviving, maintaining and developing society's historical soul in the students.…”

Virtuality and Reality—Toward a Representation Ontology

“…According to the commonly held opinion, presence has a fundamental role in the existence of virtual reality [19][20][21][22]. Lombard's and Ditton's explication of the concept is based on an extensive collection of ideas about presence, and it is the following: presence is "the perceptual illusion of nonmediation.…”

“…In this short definition the psychical and physiological aspects of presence are emphasized, but the authors propose to take into account its social aspects, as well. However, because of the primacy of the psychical elements in presence, some scholars say that "psychology is the physics of VR" [20]. It is obvious that presence should have to play a fundamental role in the identification of reality and virtuality, as well, because both of them presuppose a kind of presence.…”