Get Real

Philip Zhai has degrees in both philosophy (Ph.D) and engineering (B.S.), and is a professor of philosophy at Muhlenberg College. He is the author of The Radical Choice and Moral Theory (Kluwer).

• Part 1 Part I: How to Go "Behind" Physical SpaceChapter 2 Playing the Game: Get Wired to Go WeirdChapter 3 What If NowChapter 4 Cross-Communication SituationsChapter 5 Interpersonal-Telepresence: I Am HERE!Chapter 6 The Community of Interpersonal-TelepresenceChapter 7 the Principle of ReciprocityPart 8 Part II: The Casual and the Digital Under the VirtualChapter 9 The Four Sources of Virtual Reality InputChapter 10 Manipulation of the Physical Process from CyberspaceChapter 11 Cybersex and ReproductionChapter 12 The Expansion beyond NecessityChapter 13 Interaction among ParticipantsChapter 14 The Final Decision That Is IrreversiblePart 15 Part III: The Parallelism Between the Virtual and the ActualChapter 16 Deconstructing Rules for the "Real" and the "Illusory"Chapter 17 Communicative Rationality as the Final RuleChapter 18 How Phenomenological Descriptions Are the Same ThroughoutChapter 19 Fundamental Philosophical Questions RemainPart 20 Part IV: All are Optional Expect the MindChapter 21 John Searle's False Notion of Body Image in the BrainChapter 22 The Fallacy of Unity ProjectionChapter 23 The One-ness of Consciousness, Brain, and Quantum MechanicsChapter 24 A Conjecture: The Square Root of -1 as the Psy-FactorPart 25 Part V: The Meaning of Life and Virtual RealityChapter 26 Recapitulation and AnticipationChapter 27 Meaning as Different from Happiness: Brave New World?Chapter 28 Meaning and the CreatorChapter 29 Significant Difference versus Real DifferenceChapter 30 Three Modes of Subjectivity and IntentionalityChapter 31 Meaning, Ideality, and HumanitudeChapter 32 Virtual Rreality: The Way HomePart 33 Part VI: VR and the Destiny of HumankindChapter 34 the Fragility of Technological CivilizationChapter 35 The Question of DeathChapter 36 Transcendence of Personhood and ImmortalityChapter 37 What Could Happen SoonChapter 38 Virtual Reality and the Ontological Re-CreationChapter 39 Appendix: Jaron Lanier's Virtual reality Debut InterviewChapter 40 NotesChapter 41 GlossaryChapter 42 BibliographyChapter 43 Index

The book is a philosophical joyride supported by solid scholarship . . .The author combines analysis with insight into things that matter . . . First-rate . . . written with clarity, verve, and insight.