Conclusion
Mind and Body
Is the body a machine? Does the brain respond to certain stimuli and respond with predictable, consistent patterns? If we are to assume yes, then that would mean that someone experiencing a fully immersive simulated reality is simply two machines interacting with each other. Therefor, there should be some way to simulate an ideal reality for the human brain, one which can fully satisfy its impulses and responses and perfectly predict its patterns. A utopian simulation that could create a 100% satisfied individual.
But that’s impossible. At least, for the foreseeable future. Perhaps you could create a perfect reality for a specific group of people, as surely each person’s perfect reality would be at least a little different from each other. And then, do they just live there? Do they get to experience their perfect reality while the rest of the world deals with difficulty? How decides who gets it? Who decides what reality gets built?
When new technologies arrive, there is a tendency to consider utopian possibilities. You could liken the idea of escaping to a perfect VR reality to the idea of colonizing Mars so that we can keep destroying the Earth. It is not a practical solution for anyone except those with obscene levels of wealth and power. There are significant drawbacks to escaping to a simulated reality, and they would be felt the most by those who cannot escape. Those too poor to afford a VR set, or who are too busy working those essential, in person jobs so they can’t ignore climate change are likely also the people living in areas most affected by it.
Aside from the societal implications, could a simulated world ever really be perfect? As mentioned before, VR is an extremely individualistic experience. Even if you are in the same simulated reality, you are still physically apart from people. Even if we were able to create fully identical holograms of ourselves, there’s not actual physical touch. You can’t hold anyone, you can actually sit next to them. Plus, considering the tendency for facial smoothing and blemish-perfecting on the internet, your avatar likely will not reflect the real you. There would be no imperfections, no frustrations, no issues, and would that really be life at all?
And how would we view our bodies? If we can live out live in a headset, what is the point of our bodies? What do we do with them? How would we feel in our own skin, knowing that our bodies no longer do what they were meant to, let us live our lives?
VR is not some insidious, evil technology here to alienate us from the world and make us lose our compassion for one another. However, I think that there are precautions to be taken and things to keep in mind when moving forward. There are countless possibilities for good in Virtual Reality, but we cannot forget how much good there is in our current reality as well.