Metaverse, simulation and virtual are terms that are now familiar to us, with respect to which we have acquired a certain habit, which however is not yet a profound knowledge.
What is virtual reality? And most importantly, how real is it? So far there is no universally accepted definition of it: the concept has a certain vagueness and flexibility. However there is a common core to most uses and definitions of the expression which can be summarized as follows: A virtual reality environment is “immersive, interactive and computer generated”.
This is discussed by the Australian philosopher David Chalmers in the new issue of MicroMega, the leading Italian cultural and political in-depth magazine, now in bookstores (and also available in the online shop), which addresses all possible objections from non-realists and claims “that the virtual, although obviously having a different nature from the physical world, it is perfectly real “. (continues)
‘The virtual is not a fictional or illusory world’, it has consequences
It is widely believed that virtual reality is not ‘really’ real, but a kind of fictitious or illusory reality, a bit like the ones that are created in our mind when we read a novel. Is climbing a virtual mountain worth less than climbing a non-virtual mountain? Is it worth less if I win a game of chess in virtual reality than a victory in a non-virtual game? If I close a deal in ‘Second Life’, is it less significant than if I closed it in the non-virtual world? If I fall in love in VR, is the relationship less meaningful?
“If it is true, in fact, that when a dragon flies in a virtual world there is no dragon that flies in the physical world – argues Chalmers – it is also true that in the virtual world the dragon really flies”. For example, if a virtual reality object is red is it really red? It is certainly not red in the ordinary sense, but it is virtually truly red, that is, it has specific characteristics that make it red in the virtual world.
Ultimately, Chalmers states that “virtual reality is not a second-class reality. Or at least, it doesn’t have to be. It can be a second-level reality, in the sense that it is contained in physical reality and implemented by processes in the world. physical, but that doesn’t necessarily make it any less real or less significant. “