Subjektiv idealisme møder virtuel virkelighed: George Berkeley og Second Life

Translated title of the contribution: Subjective Idealism Meets Virtual Reality: George Berkeley and Second Life

Cynthia M. Grund, Jesper Pilegaard

Research output: Contribution to conference without publisher/journalConference abstract for conferenceResearch

Abstract

Esse est percipi aut percipere: to be is to be perceived or to perceive was the well-known motto of philosopher George Berkeley (1685-1753). Berkeley's intention was to devise an understanding of the real world as consisting exclusively of minds and mind dependent content, of perceivers and perceptions. Berkeley's philosophy contains many elements that make it relevant to the philosophical questions which arise with regard to the increasing overlap we experience between it-driven virtual reality and our actual reality. 

Second Life, an open access online virtual universe, is an example of this form of virtual reality, where Berkeley's philosophy provides a rich context for reflection over the relationships between perceiver and perceptions.

Berkeleys American home 1729-1731 bears the name Whitehall. On SDU's virtual campus i Second Life, SDU-SL, there is a virtual Whitehall, built by Pilegaard based on material collected during Grund's sojourns at the real Whitehall i Middletown, Rhode Island, where she was Scholar in Residence in July 2007 og 2008. The house and its surroundings - dubbed Percipitopia - in Second Life provide a context, where the history of philosophy and contemporary challenges to philosophy can confront each other, and Berkeley's philosophy can serve as a catalyst for the inclusion of yet other philosophical insights and theories regarding the metaphysical, epistemological and ethical questions, which arise in the wake of our dealings in and with virtual reality.

During the lecture Grund and Pilegaard will present the Percipitopia-project as well as the variety of ways in which the project interfaces with Berkeley's philosophy.

Translated title of the contributionSubjective Idealism Meets Virtual Reality: George Berkeley and Second Life
Original languageDanish
Publication date2009
Number of pages1
Publication statusPublished - 2009
EventDansk Filosofisk Selskabs Årsmøde 2009:Normativitet - At komme til rette med det regelmæssige og det uregerlige/Normativity - Coming to Terms with the Regular and the Unruly - Århus, Denmark
Duration: 27. Feb 200928. Feb 2009

Conference

ConferenceDansk Filosofisk Selskabs Årsmøde 2009:Normativitet - At komme til rette med det regelmæssige og det uregerlige/Normativity - Coming to Terms with the Regular and the Unruly
Country/TerritoryDenmark
CityÅrhus
Period27/02/200928/02/2009

Keywords

  • George Berkeley, Second Life, Percipitopia

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Subjective Idealism Meets Virtual Reality: George Berkeley and Second Life'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this