Skip to main content

Virtual Reality as a Problem of the Electronic Economy

  • Conference paper
  • 197 Accesses

Part of the book series: Studies in Economic Ethics and Philosophy ((SEEP))

Abstract

In the discussion on the concept of virtuality two different meanings of virtual are used: ‘Virtual’ means on the one hand the immediately possible, the being effective in concealment, the powerful but not visible, and on the other hand what is only seemingly existent and possible only in play or in fiction. There are used here quite different meanings of the virtual if virtual is on the one hand what is only seemingly true and on the other hand what is possible in an emphatic sense as the powerful. In the history of ideas, virtual indicates something that is real as potentiality, that is not only potential as potential. It is potentially real as something that is in an intensified way possible. Behind the distinction of being real as a possible and of being possible as a possible lies the observation that possibility and reality are not clearly separated discrete states or description of states or modi of being.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Cf. to SchellingP. Koslowskl: Philosophien der Offenbarung. Antiker Gnosti-zismus, Franz von Baader, Schelling, Paderborn (Ferdinand Schöningh) 2001, 2nd ed. 2003, pp. 650–850.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Christoph Hubig: Technik-und Wissenschaftsethik: ein Leitfaden, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York (Springer), 1st ed. 1993, 2nd ed. 1995, pp. 58ff. — Cf. also KLAUS MAINZER: Computer — neue Flügel des Geistes?, Berlin, New York (de Gruyter ) 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Cf. Peter Glotz: “Die Informationsgesellschaft: Deutsche Rahmenbedingungen, deutsche Hemmungen”, Informatik-Spektrum,22 (1999), for a discussion of the “Kulturkritik” on the Cyberspace. Glotz seems, however, to assume that we still have the choice to participate or not in the internet.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Alvin Toffler: The Third Wave (1980), New York (Bantam Books) 1981, pp. 158ff. and 231ff. Toffler speaks of “de-massified media” and “de-massified Society”.

    Google Scholar 

  5. W. Welsch: „Eine Doppelfigur der Gegenwart: Virtualisierung und Revalidierung“

    Google Scholar 

  6. Daniel Bell: Die kulturellen Widersprüche des Kapitalismus,Frankfurt a. M. (Campus) 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Eduard Spranger: Kulturphilosophie and Kulturkritik,ed. by Hans Wenke, Tübingen (Niemeyer) 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Demons must have a simulated body according to Valentinus since the can be castigated. If someone has no body he cannot be castigated. If one can castigate demons they must have a body, but their body can only be a virtual body.

    Google Scholar 

  9. SoBill JOY: „Warum die Technik uns nicht braucht. Die mächtigsten Technologien des 21. Jahrhunderts — Robotik, Gentechnik und Nanotechnologie — machen den Menschen zur gefährdeten Art“, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung,6. Juni 2000, pp. 49–50, here p. 50.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Ibid.,p. 49. (translation P.K.)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Cf. Villö HuszAl: „Der Kampf um die Vorherrschaft der Intelligenzen. Die technische und literarische Phantasie vom Maschinenmenschen“, Neue Zürcher Zeitung Nr. 70, 24./25. März 2001, p. 57, and RAY KURZWEIL: The Age of Spiritual Machines: How we will live, work and think in the new age of intelligent machines, London (Orion Business) 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Cf. Ray Kurzweil: „Die Maschinen werden uns davon überzeugen können, daß sie Menschen sind. Nur weil Europa die technologische Revolution verschläft, muß nicht die ganze Welt vor sich hin träumen“, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Nr. 153, 5. Juli 2000, p. 51.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Cited after Annette Ohms-Reinicke: „Fortschritt als Provokation“, Neue Zürcher Zeitung,24. März 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Cf. Rodney A. Brooks: „Das Fleisch und die Maschine. Wie die neuen Technologien den Menschen verändern werden“, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Nr. 205, 4. September 2000, p. 49, and RODNEY A. BROOKS: Robot: The Future of Flesh and Machines, London (Penguin Press Science) 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Cf. Villö Huszai: „Der Kampf um die Vorherrschaft der Intelligenzen“, loc. cit.

    Google Scholar 

  16. W. Löffler, D. M0rat: Article “Virtualität, virtuell”, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche,ed. by W. Kasper et al., 3rd ed., Freiburg (Herder) 2001, col. 805.

    Google Scholar 

  17. See also P. Koslowski: „Welche Werte prägen den Kapitalmarkt? Zur Ethik der Spekulation“, in: TH. BUCHHEIM, R. Schönberger, W. Schweidler (Eds.): Die Normativität des Wirklichen. Über die Grenze zwischen Sein und Sollen, Stuttgart (Klett-Cotta) 2002, pp. 286–311, and J. R. BOATRIGHT: Ethics in Finance, Malden, Mass./Oxford (Blackwell) 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Richard T. DE George: The Ethics of Information Technology and Business,Oxford (Blackwell) 2003 (= Foundations of Business Ethics, Vol. 3), p. 9, calls the phenomenon of the depersonalization of exchange relationships the “virtual reality syndrome”.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Koslowski, P. (2004). Virtual Reality as a Problem of the Electronic Economy. In: Koslowski, P., Hubig, C., Fischer, P. (eds) Business Ethics and the Electronic Economy. Studies in Economic Ethics and Philosophy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-06189-3_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-06189-3_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-06055-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-06189-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics