Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy - Softcover

Chalmers, David J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1324050349 ISBN 13: 9781324050346

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2023

Synopsis

One of the Washington Post's Best Nonfiction Books of 2022

A leading philosopher takes a mind-bending journey through virtual worlds, illuminating the nature of reality and our place within it.

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.

56 illustrations

About this title

About the Author

David Chalmers is a professor of philosophy and neural science and co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain and Consciousness at New York University. He wrote The Conscious Mind, The Character of Consciousness, and Constructing the World, and lives in New York.

Edition details

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1324050349
• ISBN 13: 9781324050346
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 544