The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality

“Heim has a facility for grasping salient points from what is a vast and bewildering tidal wave of facts and issues, and presenting them clearly and succinctly….At his best, he successfully and vividly conveys his own excitement and enthusiasm….This book is an accomplished and informative primer.”–Radical Philosophy”This new book tells skeptics why they should appreciate virtual reality…and tells VR zealots why to cool their jets. Metaphysics is written by Michael Heim, an East-meets-West philosophy teacher. His first goggles-and-glove encounter sent his philosophical seismograph into seizure. The result is this essay collection, bibliography, and glossary that views computing from an ontological perspective….Like Heidegger and Mcluhan, Heim reflects on theradical shifts brought about by an unprecedented development,” he ponders the erotic allure of cyberspace and the philosophical problems puzzling VR designers and users…..A warm-hearted, cool-headed meditationon computer technology.“–Wired”This engagingly written work attempts to deal with the pressing question of the effects of technology–in particular of computers and computerization–on our lives, our thoughts, our emotions, and even our view of reality….Ideas come from all over the place–from Greek and Eastern philosophy, science fiction, Leibniz, Heidegger, contemporary philosophy, artificial intelligence, computer techno-speak, etc.–and they all come at the reader in a mile-a-minutestream. This is Marshall McLuhan with a solid grounding in philosophy.“–Library Journal”Heim is clearing a path through exciting realms of thought.“–AI Expert”An excellent book… . particularly good on philosophical issues.“–Peter A. Andersen, San Diego State University

Michael Heim is a freelance philosophy teacher living in Redondo, California.