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Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy

Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy

by David J Chalmers

W. W. Norton & Company ·2022 ·544 pages ·Culture
Maybe Someday
Maybe Someday
I Index
40/99
Maybe Someday

44/99

Critics

Maybe Someday

36/99

Readers

n/a

Scholars

12/99

Rating

77/99

Volume

19/99

Rating

54/99

Volume

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About This Book

Virtual reality is genuine reality; that's the central thesis of Reality+. In a highly original work of "technophilosophy," David J. Chalmers gives a compelling analysis of our technological future. He argues that virtual worlds are not second-class worlds, and that we can live a meaningful life in virtual reality. We may even be in a virtual world already. Along the way, Chalmers conducts a grand tour of big ideas in philosophy and science. He uses virtual reality technology to offer a new perspective on long-established philosophical questions. How do we know that there's an external world? Is there a god? What is the nature of reality? What's the relation between mind and body? How can we lead a good life? All of these questions are illuminated or transformed by Chalmers' mind-bending analysis. Studded with illustrations that bring philosophical issues to life, Reality+ is a major statement that will shape discussion of philosophy, science, and technology for years to come.


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Reviews

"Chalmers's central idea, that 'there is more to reality than we thought', is seductive, and I was surprised to find his arguments delightfully – or perhaps worryingly – convincing ..."

PD Smith· The Guardian Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Chalmers...is adept at making the hypothesis clear without sacrificing its complexity."

Jess Keiser· The Washington Post Read review ↗ Near the Top

"Crafted with the general reader in mind, this is an object lesson in philosophical reasoning and a bold, often awe-inspiring discussion of its implications."

Publishers Weekly Read review ↗ Near the Top

"his argument relies mostly on probabilistic analyses of what we would do with the power to produce full-universe simulations (his conclusion: we'd create millions of them)."

Kit Wilson· The Times (UK) Read review ↗ Near the Top

"This seems morally problematic, but Chalmers predicts, without affect, that it will happen anyway."

Kieran Setiya· Times Literary Supplement Read review ↗ Maybe Someday

"Then take a red pill and join the resistance."

Josh Glancy· The Times (UK) Read review ↗ Maybe Someday

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