Exploring Realities: Brey, Egan, and Virtual World Analysis

This assignment analyzes the distinctions between physical, social, and institutional realities as presented in the provided texts. The author differentiates between physical reality (concrete beings and truth), social reality (collective expectations), and institutional reality (status functions). It explores which realities can be simulated versus ontologically reproduced in a virtual world, providing examples like the simulation of physical objects and the unique nature of virtual administrative artifacts. The assignment further discusses when actions in a virtual world can be considered actions in the physical world, offering examples of what does and does not qualify, and providing an ambiguous case. Finally, the assignment examines how Brey's concepts relate to the Prologue from Greg Egan's *Permutation City*, specifically analyzing the reality of the simulated Copy of Paul Durham and its relation to artificial intelligence.

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1. Physical reality: The physical reality comprises of actual concrete beings and truth
regardless of our interpretations. Human reality encompasses anything that is not purely
factual and evidence; it is created by a set of collective expectations or constructions (Brey).
Social Reality: Social reality consists of all the individuals or evidence which are not
truly factual but are the product of a collective perception or creation method.
Institutional Reality: The status functions, leads to institutional facts that constitute
institutional reality
For interactive worlds physical reality and normal social reality may typically only be
manipulated, while structural experience can be mirrored in the virtual world for the most
part ontologically. Of example, even virtual reality will replicate physical objects like trees
and rocks or ordinary everyday objects like, screwdrivers and tables. That is because their
models are not capable of representing real and ordinary social objects 'true physical ability.
In the other hand, in the virtual reality money and private properties will practically be
viewed as administrative artefacts.
2. If the virtual reality is considered as a physical phenomenon that have physical
basis it will allow the actions in the virtual world to be considered as actions in the physical
world.

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Example: Like an apple in the virtual reality. An apple is an apple in the virtual
reality. It shaped and looked like an apple and it considers an amount of virtual space of
being.
3. The copy of Paul Durham is as real as the actual person is. Although the copy has
been created through uploading protagonist’s conscienc into virtual reality and the memory
and emotions inside the virtual Paul Durham is just a copy from the actual person (Egan). It
connects directly to Brey’s 2014 article about virtual reality and other types of reality. The
prologue really creates a confusion between the physical and virtual world.

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Works Cited
Brey, Philip. "The physical and social reality of virtual worlds." The oxford handbook of
virtuality (2014): 42-54.
Egan, Greg. Permutation city. Hachette UK 2010.