Understanding causation in virtual reality

This Blended Intensive Programme aims to provide the CIVIS students with the necessary thinking abilities for understanding the nature of virtual reality, for acting responsibly in VR, for identifying how to integrate this technology into our everyday lives. VR/AR devices have a wide range of applications in multiple fields, such as healthcare, education and psychology, and they raise many philosophical questions that address the nature of the worlds we experience in VR, the way we learn and how we relate to others in VR.

The aim of this blended intensive program is to explore ways of understanding causality in VR – the way objects interact with one another and the role of causality in how we relate to virtual worlds. Causality is essential in our understanding of both physical and virtual reality, it influences debates on action, agency, and user responses in VR. Causal perception is very important for understanding user interaction and the experiences users have in VR. However, there is little work in the literature dedicated to it. We will focus on how the questions raised by VR bear on debates in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of perception, philosophy of technology, and philosophy of mind. The main outcome of the program will be a better understanding of the nature of our experiences in VR and the mechanisms that drive them.

Main topics addressed

• Metaphysics of VR
• Ethics of cognitive technology / Ethics in the Virtual World
• Epistemology of VR
• Social dynamics in VR
• Counterfactual reasoning
• Action and morality in VR 
• The role of VR in teaching-learning processes
• Design stance in VR
• Rule-governed behavior in VR

Learning outcomes

The Blended Intensive Programme will give the students the chance to deepen their knowledge about the nature of virtual reality in order to access further studies and to improve their analytical abilities. This will allow them to adopt a strongly trans-disciplinary point of view on the most influential theories and research areas in Virtual Reality and its uses in multiple fields, such as psychology, cognitive science and philosophy.

In terms of professional competencies and skills, the Blended Intensive Programme offers students the opportunity to understand, reflect and act upon VR devices and applications. In this respect, professors and trainers will introduce the students to the latest concepts, theories, principles and fundamental methods of research in VR. This Blended Intensive Programme give to students a valuable preparation for careers in VR-related fields. 

In a nutshell, by attending the course students will enhance their skills/compertencies such as:

• Critical Thinking
• Reflection upon digital humanities
• Engagement with cognitive-scientific, philosophical and VR literature
• The ability to discuss digital and virtual reality
• Writing skills