Claudine Tiercelin

Métaphysique et philosophie de la connaissance

Année 2022-2023

Colloque - Virtual and Augmented Realities: Epistemological and Metaphysical Issues : The Constitution of Virtual Objects

Intervenant(s)

Alexandre Declos, Maître de conférences, Collège de France

Guillaume Bucchioni, Aix-Marseille Université

Résumé

David Chalmers has recently argued that virtual reality is a genuine kind of reality, populated by real digital entities. At the ontological level, this realist view is ambiguous between two readings. One states that virtual entities are strictly identical to digital entities. The other considers that virtual entities and digital entities are distinct, but that the former ontologically depend on the latter. In this presentation, we shall explore the latter form of virtual realism, and attempt to offer a novel account of the dependence of the virtual on the digital. Virtual objects, we contend, should be seen as constituted by digital objects and mental states. In order to develop this claim, we shall draw on Lynne Rudder Baker's theory of constitution We'll explore the rationale and consequences of this view, which we take to be the most promising form of realism about the virtual.

Présentation

Virtual Reality technology affords its users a strongly immersive and interactive experience of computer-generated environments, through a dedicated headset. With Augmented Reality devices, 3D computer-generated imagery is projected onto physical space, thereby "augmenting" the user's surroundings with an overlay of virtual entities. These "Extended Reality" (XR) technologies are likely to become a part of our everyday life in the near future. They also raise a host of fascinating issues, which have increasingly been discussed in the recent philosophical literature. This international conference will investigate the metaphysical and epistemological questions raised by XR technologies.

Le colloque est intégralement en anglais et a eu lieu les 5 et 6 juin au Collège de France

Episode 478: The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin