Virtual Reality and Knowing What It Is Like. This project aims to investigate the idea that virtual reality (VR) is an ‘empathy machine’ that can simulate the experiences of other people and thereby g

Description

Virtual Reality and Knowing What It Is Like. This project aims to investigate the idea that virtual reality (VR) is an ‘empathy machine’ that can simulate the experiences of other people and thereby give us knowledge of what it is like to have those experiences. The project expects to advance our understanding of this issue by bringing together philosophical work on ‘what it is like’ knowledge and work in psychology on immersive VR. Expected outcomes include a theory of how VR can give us degrees of ‘what it is like’ knowledge, and a normative analysis of what can go wrong when we try to use VR to understand other people. This should provide significant benefits, including guidelines for the ethical use of these 'empathy machines', and practical advice on improving their accuracy.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5003 - Philosophy. Lead: Dr Yuri Cath