The Mind is Virtual

Reality

The senses are the faculty by which we can know reality. Therefore, any virtualization of reality would also have to be sensory in nature, i.e. composed of sensory information. Neuroscience has shown that all sensory information is basically interpreted as electrical impulses in our nervous system, whether it be normal reality or virtualized reality.

Then what is the difference between a virtualized and normal reality? There is no difference in my book, to be honest. Normality is established by the continuity of our experience of reality. Reality seems normal because it is sustained by just being alive, whereas virtualized reality has to be consciously sustained through mental visualization, chemical intervention or technological extension of human capacity.

Virtual States

Let me take a step back to describe what I mean by “virtual”.

The mind’s power to imagine, visualize, simulate, stimulate and recall is a way of recreating impressions of sensory information. In fact, in Buddhist philosophy, the mind is considered to be a sense organ in itself. Psychological studies have shown that imagining or remembering an object or incident with which some emotion is attached (like fear or joy) can trigger the same reactions in the brain as encountering the object/incident itself. It is this method that is applied in exposure therapy.

I see emotion acting as an binding agent between the subjective and objective which fulfils the participatory nature of the “self” in the “world”. Both “self” and “world” are continuous processes in this regard. The sustenance of this continuity is what establishes our reality. When the continuity breaks, as it does in waking from a dream, we realize that the dream was not real.

So, to achieve a virtual state by the power of mind alone would require enormous mental prowess. Such kind of practices can be found in many mystical and shamanic traditions.

Other examples of virtual states include substance-induced (psychedelic) or those caused by aberrant disturbances in the psyche (schizophrenia, and other mental illnesses). But the reason I am establishing the notion of “virtual state” is not to explore these aforementioned states, but the emerging variant — the augmentation of mind through technology.

From Virtual States to Physicality

Virtual states are probabilistic states of mind (similar to how virtual particles in quantum physics exist in the realm of probability). Whereas several virtual states may exist simultaneously, only a single physical outcome occurs — through embodiment. Who we are and how we act are born out of the collective virtual states that condition our mind. You could say that virtual states of mind are aggregated patterns of thought.

The same is true for VR technology. When we are immersed in a simulated experience, and the degree of immersion is directly proportional to how much of the experience we “embody”. Interestingly, it seems like “embodiment” can extend or morph beyond our natural bodies — as shown in research by Andrea Stevenson Won where people inhabit avatar bodies that are different than their own (some even non-human avatars like lobster). This phenomenon is termed as homuncular flexibility by Jaron Lanier. Embodying novel bodies can produce significant psychological and physiological change.

It has also been shown that these changes continue even after taking off the headset. This is exactly why virtual reality has shown so much promise in therapy. This also means that we can be initiated into virtual states through VR experiences designed to induce different “embodiments”, and by imbibing these embodied states we can change our physical performance. Who we are, how we act, can be altered through virtual reality.

Empowerment

VR technology being used to modify people’s behavior for selfish and greedy means is a legitimate concern. More so, the data collected through VR use is very intimate and personal. Transparent policies, empathetic designs, unbiased ecosystems and empowering experiences are needed now more than ever. Some of these issues point towards reform required in cyber law and security (data privacy), some to the structure of computer applications itself (human-centered vs. machine-centered), while some are a result of stagnating social and political systems (racial, cultural, economic imbalance).

Let us, for a moment, keep our apocalyptic lenses aside, and appreciate how technology exposes so much of our biases, weaknesses and selfishness. VR is revolutionary, not because it is the solution to all these things (yet), but because aspiring for this technology makes us excruciatingly aware of our own selves like never before. It is also well-timed for this era. We can already see these discussions happening in the VR community.

But that is not all. These are just external implications. VR is fundamentally an introspective medium. VR inevitably brings up the question — then what is reality? Is this all a simulation? Are we in a simulation right now?

Yes, we are. Our senses (and mind) simulate our reality. We cannot know any reality without them. No wonder VR researchers focus on perception and cognition quite heavily. Ultimately, the questions that technology brings up — and the answers it inspires us to seek — is a deeper inquiry of human nature.