Get Real: A Philosophical Adventure in Virtual Reality (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Anyone rapt with the lure of high technology and the quickly evolving advances in virtual reality will meld instantly with this book. Zhai (philosophy and engineering, Muhlenberg Coll.) takes a languid look at the electronic revolution, wondering whether, for example, virtual reality is a kind of "opium for the masses," rendering us all comfortably numb, or a rich, magnetic, and meaningful entity. Of particular interest here are Zhai's ramblings on "Meaning, Ideality and Humanitude, The Oneness of Consciousness and Brain and Quantum Mechanics, and Interpersonal-Telepresence." A smart, lucid, joyful look at invented realities that just may be more real than any of us dares to believe. For academic libraries.AGeoff Rotunno, "Tri-Mix" Magazine, Goleta, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

A fascinating look at the brave new world of virtual reality.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (June 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847689832
• ISBN-13: 978-0847689835
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,437,815 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Utter tosh., September 16, 1999

By	[e-mail] (UK) - See all my reviews

I'm sorry. Just don't waste your time.

I know giving just one example doesn't perhaps sound very convincing on it's own. But here it is: he thinkshe can debunk the whole idea of AI in a matter of a few lines, literally - when the brilliant Roger Penrose has spent two books trying to very carefully show what is wrong with the AI project and what still needs to be discovered in Physics. Zhai doesn't seem to realise that in his"argument", he has assumed the very thing he is trying to prove.

Moreover, he doesn't credibly single out what makes machines different from people, which Penrose is at pains to do, very carefully. Penrose leaves open the possibility that we might succeed at AI if we understand the amazing and mysterious laws at work in the human brain - if indeed there are laws operating at all - they would have to be quite unlike any other physical law we know of now, including the weirdest of quantum mechanical laws. Zhai slams the door shut completely, with no appreciation for the benefits and power of science.

Believe me, I'm not rejecting this book because I didn't understand it. On the contrary, what little I read was trifilingly easy to understand, but clearly full of holes. The author simply does not know how to string together a coherent argument.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Convincing Argument, June 5, 2001

By	David Smith (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews

I have never thought possible that thought experiments can guide us through a philosophical adventure in such an exciting manner. Zhai's argument that most of cognitive scientists have committed a "Fallacy of Unity Projection" is right to the point and seems to me to have conclusively ruled out the possibility of Strong AI. I agree with the previous reviewer that the argument against Strong AI in Zhai's book is carefully crafted and has the first two chapters prepare the way for it. I would like to see more of the discussion of the implications of VR for the foundation of civilization, though.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I meant to rate it 5 star, October 26, 1999

By A Customer

I wondered why my review was cut. I said chapters 1 and 2 prepare the starting point for the discussion of Strong AI in chapter 4, and that further invalidates Tosh's comments.