The Thought Experiments of Virtual Reality
The Matrix is iconic for introducing ideas of philosophical skepticism to a broad audience. By philosophical skepticism, we refer to philosophical views that question the possibility of knowledge. The question that Matrix poses can be framed as follows: “Can we know that we are not, in fact, in a simulation?” Or as Morpheus asks: “What is Real? How do you define ‘Real?’”
Since the first Matrix movie hit the theatres in 1999, such questions have gained increased relevance. Not necessarily because the idea was a new one — as we’ll get into — but because Immersive VR technology has become commercially available. We now know more than ever — many of us experientially — about the power of computing technologies to ‘fool’ our senses. You may have seen videos of people running into physical walls to escape from virtual monsters, or trying to lean themselves on a virtual table. Or you may have done so yourself!
Now, of course, we know cognitively through reasoning and remembrance that the monsters and tables are here only virtual. Besides, they surely don’t look or feel as real as whatever it is that we call reality. But with these experiences at hand, we can also imagine the terrifying potential of this technology as it advances in the future.
