From: clwlurk@madera-next.Stanford.EDU (Christine Lynn Williams)
Subject: PHIL: What's so wrong about progress?
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 93 06:31:12 GMT
Message-ID: <1993Feb22.063112.28871@leland.Stanford.EDU>
Organization: DSO, Stanford University


I've gotten the idea that a bunch out there are sick of the philosophical  
talk that's been going on in this group.  Skip this, then.

Personally, I have no qualms about all the potential that could come from  
VR technology.  However, I know that there are a lot of skeptics out there  
who are scared to death by the prospects of a future which might include  
virtual experience.  I recently saw a videotape of a CBS news program (I  
forget the name, but it had an obvious Christian bias -- The One Hundred  
Club or something like that maybe?)  which attempted to report on VR  
technology and its applications.  R.U. Sirius from Mondo 2000 was  
interviewed and portrayed as a monster -- someone who was messing with  
nature and society and normalcy, etc.  So I realize that there is  
resistence.  But where does it come from?  Is it ignorance of the true  
potential -- that uses like Nintendo games and virtual sex are getting  
more press than advancements in surgery or design? And what about the  
whole notion of separation of mind and body? It seems to me that VR  
technology is bringing us even closer to that point in evolution when  
humans will not even need a functional body...just a brain and a way to  
jack into a computer terminal.  Maybe this is what inspires the fear...

If anyone out there is a member of the opposition (or at least of the  
concerned) or has any insight as to where all the skepticism and fear  
comes from, please post, or write me directly.  I'm quite interested. 

(And if anyone knows of or remembers the CBS news program I mentioned, the  
name and date of broadcast would be much appreciated.)

Thanks.
Chris Williams