Phoenicopterus roseus: US Postal Service & initiating a WUaS accreditation process in Pennsylvania? * * * Mergers & Acquisitions - merging 1) Ameca the Robot with the 2) Toyota Trumpet Player robot, and getting also a 3) THR3 to teach Scottish Small Pipes to - for WUaS home robotics ... Meeting up and acquiring some coffees at B&N too * * Almost came back to our Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, near Bakery Square and Google HQeadwaters' office abode, and found the 1 Toyota Trumpet Player humanoid robot, from 2010 - on the right sofa in the living room (see 3 Youtube videos here - http://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2022/10/primula-suffrutescens.html?m=0), and a 2 Toyota THR3 humanoid robot, from 2017 - on the left sofa ... * about this Tuesday, October 25, 2022 Cambridge Philosophy talk on VIRTUAL REALITY, (and questions about the metaphysics of consciousness re VR) - [CamPhilEvents] Reminder | Alex Fisher @ Moral Sciences Club Tomorrow ~ on "Virtual Reality as Fictional or Real"

In wondering if housemate #CMU#GradStudent#TrumpetPlayer#StephonOwens could bring together #ToyotaTrumpetPlayer w #AmecaRobot#HumanoidRobots to play trumpet, am reminded of going to @lessig's "Remix"(free in https://t.co/OE9N0nTPHs?) book release @ Booksmiths in #TheHaightSF- https://t.co/0hRHeBZ0fc

— Languages-World Univ (@sgkmacleod) October 25, 2022

Dear all, 

This is a reminder that Alex Fisher (Robinson College, Cambridge) will be speaking at the Moral Sciences Club tomorrow (Tuesday 25th October), from 4:00--5:45 pm on Virtual Reality as Fictional or Real. The abstract is as follows:

It is controversial whether virtual reality is fictional or real. Virtual realists argue that objects in virtual reality are genuinely real – they exist, have causal powers, and so on. Virtual fictionalists claim that engagement with virtual reality involves the imagination, hence virtual objects are merely fictional and do not exist. I argue that virtual realism is undermotivated.

First, an apparent major difference between virtual realism and virtual fictionalism – whether or not we imagine in engaging with virtual reality – comes to nothing. The form of belief that the virtual realist advocates instead is functionally identical to imagination. Second, virtual realism purports to have greater explanatory power due to its increased ontology. Yet a key case meant to demonstrate this – our reaction to traumatic events such as sexual assault in virtual reality – can be equally explained by the virtual fictionalist. Consequently, virtual realism's distinctive mental state is unremarkable, and its additional ontology redundant.

If you would like to attend the dinner with Alex after the talk, please also indicate that in the linked Google Sheet by tonight (Monday 24th) at 5pm. This dinner is open to anyone who has attended the talk (in person or virtually) and those who sign up for dinner will be notified of the details closer to the time. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gWIYV-efvyo-TAf-mDZWpKZQe_4FY6aktYyWXL2DUMs/edit?usp=sharing.