Posts Tagged ‘self’
ALT! Who Goes There? Part Three by Extropia DaSilva
In the previous essay, we saw how philosophy embarked on a failed quest to find the core self. Something else that has occupied philosophers’ minds through the ages is the nature of reality. What is it, in and of itself? Are we in a position to know? In concepts and thought experiments like ‘the veil of Maya’, ‘Plato’s Cave’, ‘Descartes’ evil deceiver’ and ‘Nozik’s Experience Machine’, we are invited to…
Being in Shape
No, this is truly not about how to take your avatar out to a gym and work it out Fortunately, in Second Life, getting a trim and fit shape is just… one click away. It is also not a resource to help you out among the millions of shapes out there to find the one that looks the nicest. However, it’s related to both — and to three other things…
Offline in the Afterlife: An Essay by Extropia DaSilva
‘I’m the urban spaceman baby, here comes the twist: I don’t exist’ – Bonzo Dog Doo-dah Band. On the 23rd June 2009 at 3:23 pm (pst), Gwyn said something rather strange. It probably did not strike her as such, and is not likely to seem odd to you either. That is because we are not evolved to understand death. But, we are jumping ahead of ourselves. First, I should reveal…
Google and The Red Queen – An Essay By Extropia DaSilva
No, it’s not about Google Wave — but you still might find it entertaining reading! — Gwyn “Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place” – Lewis Carrol. INTRODUCTION This essay, which is all about the evolution of search engines, begins (peculiarly enough) with the extraordinarily toxic rough-skinned newt, which can be found in the Pacific Northwest. Of all the…
Bees And Flowers: An Essay By Extropia DaSilva
“Why did this woman collect dolls? Was it one specific moment where she suddenly said, ‘I know: dolls’? Or was it a whole series of things, starting from when her parents first met that somehow combined in such a way that, in the end, she had no choice but to be a doll collector”? — spoken by Clyde Bruckman, a character in an episode of ‘The X-Files’. INTRODUCTION. Do you…
Oneness Plus Two Equals Six: An Essay by Extropia DaSilva
Another essay by the untiring Extropia for your pleasure! Enjoy — Gwyn When two digital people meet for a chat in Second Life ®, there are at least six people involved in the conversation. To help explain the reasoning behind that statement, I shall introduce a hypothetical digital person, known as ‘Digi’. Digi needs a friend, and so we need another digital person. Here comes one now. She is…
Post-immersionism
Henrik Bennetsen, in his old masterpiece article Augmentation vs. Immersion, launched one of the biggest debates in the history of Second Life®’s psychology. The clarity of his ideas finally defined the two possible relationships a resident of Second Life might have towards the virtual world: either as a different space or as an extension of the real space. Bennetsen cleverly explains that both visions are imaginary ideals on the opposite sides…
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