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 contribution | Subjective Idealism Meets Virtual Reality: George Berkeley and Second Life |
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| Original language | Danish |
| Publication date | 2009 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |
| Event | Dansk 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 2009 → 28. Feb 2009 |
Conference
| Conference | Dansk 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/Territory | Denmark |
| City | Århus |
| Period | 27/02/2009 → 28/02/2009 |
Keywords
- George Berkeley, Second Life, Percipitopia