Written by Marc Demar
Philosophical perspectives on the Metaverse.
Many things have been said and written about the Metaverse since it has become a trending topic. And people seem divided. On the topic of technology, where it is or isn’t, and what it will allow us to do or not do, now and in the future. But also on a more philosophical level.
The Metaverse as an Escape?
Some Metaverse critics use the words Metaverse and escapism in one sentence, directly or implied. They see virtual reality as offering a form of escapism.
They may refer to Mark Zuckerberg who predicted: “From the moment we wake up in the morning to the moment we go to bed, we can jump into the metaverse and do almost anything imaginable”
That sounds awesome and the critics will say that people will want to spend most of their time in such a virtual reality in which you can do almost anything imaginable, rather than deal with the endless challenges of real life.
One can hardly disagree if you frame it like that. Who wouldn’t want to be in a place where you can do almost anything imaginable? Where you can escape work related stress, financial issues, conflict, or whatever else may bother you?
The problem with framing it like this is that it is like a straw man argument. You postulate something that is false, and then give the impression you refute it, without addressing the real subject.
The straw man being the “where you can do almost anything imaginable”. Zuckerberg did say it. But don’t take it literally (in fact be skeptical of anything he says, but that’s beside the point). People said the same thing after the invention of the telegraph, or Internet. Well, I imagine.
If “where you can do almost anything imaginable” is not to be taken literally, then what is the Metaverse? For one, and this is what many critics fail to recognize or mention, the Metaverse is not one thing, just like the Internet is not one thing. The Metaverse is going to be a million things and I am being conservative.
Second, instead of saying that the Metaverse will allow you to do anything imaginable (whatever that means), a much more accurate way to characterize the Metaverse is that it is a place that will allow us to do things we can’t really fathom or imagine just yet.
If we can’t quite imagine it yet, just like we couldn’t imagine what the Internet – in the early stages – would allow us to do, then “it will offer a form of escapism” begins to sound hollow and premature. What it really means, I believe, is that some people are freaked out by the “virtual” in “virtual reality”. They equate virtual with not real, and if something is not real it must be fake. Hence the Metaverse offers a fake world, giving the impression of being real, but fake nonetheless.
But here they go wrong on an epic scale. Something can be virtual and real at the same time.
Their lack of accuracy and nuance when talking about the Metaverse makes it easy to be for or against, dig trenches and barricade yourself. That’s how it often goes. People dig themselves in based on arguments built on bad foundations. But it doesn’t further understanding and honest discussions.
Not that it takes much effort to change people’s perception and understanding. If you’d explain that this very Metaverse – which some believe will lure people into escapism – will not only provide access to education regardless of geographical location, but revolutionize it, they’re likely to stick their heads up over the trench. Education will revolutionize to the extend that kids will be begging their parents to go to school, even if they are sick. AthenaVerse, in Somnium Space, is going full speed ahead with this as we speak. And this is one tiny example.
Don’t get me wrong. Escapism is a real thing, and I am sure some people may use the Metaverse as an escape. But more than anything else, the Metaverse is a new and real frontier that is waiting to be developed and explored. With it come unique challenges and opportunities.
Humans are driven to explore the unknown, discover new worlds, push the boundaries of our scientific and technical limits and then push further. The intangible desire to explore and challenge the boundaries of what we know and where we have been has provided benefits to our society for centuries.
You know what, maybe that desire is rooted in humanity’s escapism.
But that’s a whole different discussion.
We’re Responsible
Philosopher Plato said: “The city is what it is because the citizens are what they are”. So if the city should change, it begins with the citizens. They are responsible. City is really a metaphor, for society, or any other form of organization of people.
That’s how it is with the Metaverse as well. It will be what we want it to be.
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