21st Century Learning and Teaching

Thomas Metzinger is a philosopher at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, who specialises in the philosophy of mind and neuroscience. He is co-author, with Michael Madary, of a paper calling for a code of conduct for virtual reality.

Why do we need an ethical code of conduct for virtual reality?

Virtual reality headsets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive will hit the consumer market this year and suddenly millions of people will be using them. VR can induce strong illusions of embodiment, where you feel as if you own and control another body. We do not know what the psychological consequences will be.

What are the risks?

There may be a risk of depersonalisation, where after an extended immersion in a virtual environment, your physical body may seem unreal to you. Fully immersive experiences have a bigger and more lasting impact on people’s behaviour and psychology. We know from the rubber hand illusion that our brains can be fooled into thinking that an inanimate rubber hand is our own. In VR environments, we can be fooled into thinking that we are our avatars.Consumers must understand that not all of the risks are known in advance. There may be a tiny percentage of the population that has a certain psychiatric vulnerability such that binging on VR may result in a prolonged psychotic episode. One can only speculate.

 

Learn more / En savoir plus / Mehr erfahren:

 

http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?tag=Virtual+Reality

 

http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?tag=Ethics