A VR user is conscious that she/he stands in a virtual environment and this perception makes her/him to see literally the unreal (which is not possible in our physical reality — because this sensible reality is seem as the real one). Then, can we approach VR as a philosophical and spiritual possibility of reflecting and reaching the idea?
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A body and something else — upper — bigger — wider…
How can we talk about it, allow to talk about it?
How can we interpret this entity, this non-material aspect, but clearly important as gold, because it makes us more important than « just a body » made of flesh and blood? It makes us a spirit that cannot die. This part of us seems to be untouchable, an idea in a metaphysics meaning — an essence that cannot be changed.
If we follow the philosophy of Plato (Allegory of the cave) who thought that we lived in a parody of real life — in one word: everything around us is fake, the tangible and concrete matter is only illusion of the real that stands in the idea « the intelligible » — in our position of citizens of 21st century, let’s think that this idea of Plato already presuppose the Virtual Reality (VR) as starting point in our environment.
What stands behind VR? The idea…
Metaphysics as an upper-dispositive standing untouchable from any changing aspects opens the reflection on consciousness and perception.
A VR user is conscious that she/he stands in a virtual environment and this perception makes her/him to see literally the unreal (which is not possible in our physical reality — because this sensible reality is seem as the real one). Then, can we approach VR as a philosophical and spiritual possibility of reflecting and reaching the idea?
VR is not made of image, but it is made by a computational language which is directly connect to words, numbers, ideas and… spirituality (maybe). And it’s by learning a language that we can connect with them.
« […] the world is around me, not in front of me » wrote Merleau-Ponty – and we can admit easily that this non-frontal aspect of the VR medium is maybe the key and the aim for artists who choose to be the closest to the timelessness of spirituality.
Original Researches by Pierre Friquet / Theerawat Klangjareonchai
Text and research-development by Valérie Félix
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References:
- FRIQUET, Pierre – http://pierrefriquet.net/satelite_portfolio/jean-michel-jarre-alone-together/
- GALILEO di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de Galilei
- KURZWEIL, Ray (1999). The Age of Spiritual Machines. New York City: Viking Press.
- MERLEAU-PONTY, Maurice (1961). L’Œil et l’esprit. Paris: Gallimard Editions.
- NAG HAMMADI ROLLS (…). Hypostasis of the Archons or The Reality of the Rulers
- NIETZSCHE, Friedrich (1882). Le Gai savoir, Livre cinquième. Paris: Flammarion Editions.
- OFFRAY DE LA METTRIE, Julien
- PLATO (c. 375 BC). « Allegory of the cave », in The Republic Book VII.