I have always loved virtual environments. World of Warcraft and Second Life were places where I enjoyed meeting creative people and experiencing the sensation of sharing the same space with them, even though we were thousands of kilometers apart. Recently, I revisited Decentraland, the web3 world which is decentralized, using blockchains and a DAO to organize the virtual world. Like in Second Life, I really enjoy the community gatherings and music events there. It's a pity there are often not much more than twenty to thirty avatars. I guess there are three groups of people interested in worlds such as Decentraland: the speculators who buy land but hardly ever do anything in-world, the builders, creators, and organizers who fill the world with stuff and fun things to do, and the socializers who enjoy meeting people in a virtual setting.

Philosophers discuss these experiences. Are they illusions and 'unreal,' or is there something more? What are 'reality,' 'virtuality,' and 'illusion' anyway? If you want some holiday or weekend-reading about this, I can recommend the book Reality+ by the philosopher David Chalmers. You can contrast that with Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard.

ChatGPT did a good job comparing both books, but I still had to correct it a bit (Baudrillard says more than 'the virtual obscures the real', he challenges the notion of 'real' in contemporary society).

Here is the modified ChatGPT-analysis:

David Chalmers, a prominent philosopher of mind, presents a compelling case for the legitimacy of virtual realities in his book Reality+. He posits that virtual experiences can be as real as physical ones, challenging traditional notions that privilege the physical world. Chalmers argues that virtual worlds, though created and sustained by digital technology, offer genuine experiences and should be considered extensions of reality rather than mere illusions or lesser realities.

Chalmers' perspective is rooted in his broader philosophical inquiries into consciousness and existence. He suggests that as long as virtual experiences are rich and immersive enough to be indistinguishable from physical experiences, they hold equivalent ontological status. This view aligns with the idea that reality is not solely defined by physical substance but by the quality and coherence of experiences.

Key Points in Reality+:

• Ontological Equivalence: Virtual and physical realities can be equally real.

• Quality of Experience: The richness of experience in virtual worlds grants them reality status.

• Extended Reality: Virtual realities are extensions, not mere simulations, of the physical world.

In stark contrast, Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation offers a more skeptical and critical view of virtuality. Baudrillard introduces the concept of the hyperreal, where simulations and representations become more real than reality itself, leading to a collapse of distinctions between reality and illusion. He argues that in the age of mass media and digital technologies, society is increasingly dominated by simulacra—copies of copies with no original referent.

Baudrillard's critique is deeply rooted in postmodern theory, suggesting that the proliferation of signs and symbols in contemporary culture erodes the authenticity of reality. He views virtuality not as an extension of reality but as a deceptive layer that replaces the real. For Baudrillard, the hyperreal is a realm where the boundary between reality and fiction blurs, resulting in a loss of the real.

Key Points in Simulacra and Simulation:

• Hyperreal: Simulations and representations surpass reality in influence and perception.

• Loss of the Real: The distinction between reality and illusion collapses in the hyperreal.

• Critical Perspective: Virtuality is seen as a deceptive and dominating force.

Chalmers and Baudrillard offer fundamentally different outlooks on the relationship between reality and virtuality. Chalmers' Reality+ is optimistic, suggesting that virtual worlds can enrich our understanding of reality and provide genuine experiences. Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation, on the other hand, is critical and cautionary, warning of the dangers of a hyperreal society.

These contrasting views invite us to reflect on the nature of our experiences in an increasingly digital age. Are virtual realities enriching extensions of our world, as Chalmers suggests, or are they exploding reality into the realm of hyperreality, as Baudrillard warns? The answers to these questions will shape our understanding of reality and our place within it as technology continues to evolve.

(Image generated by DALL-E)