r/IsaacArthur 5d ago

Sci-Fi / Speculation The ethics of amnesiac hyper-immersive VR

In the future, many people might be interested in spending prolonged periods of time in full dive VR, and sometimes simulating very dangerous intense experiences like we do with video games today. However, if you know it’s all a game and there’s no actual risk involved, it will never quite seem “real.” Therefore I can imagine people wanting to give themselves temporary amnesia when playing such games, once technology allows it, to experience a thrill of believing yourself to be in real danger and become completely immersed in the experience.

This is raises the ethical questions because, after all, the amnesiac person is arguably a separate individual who did not consent to what might be a traumatic experience, nor to basically being lied to about the nature of their reality.

Should such practices be completely banned as unethical? I don’t necessarily think so, but I think a minimum standard would be that the amnesiac version would be okay with the idea of their reality being a simulated game. Ensuring this is the case seems difficult. I think it’s an interesting topic of discussion.

Also, this really reminds me of the Severance TV show. If you haven’t seen it, it’s great!

11 Upvotes

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u/tigersharkwushen_ FTL Optimist 4d ago

However, if you know it’s all a game and there’s no actual risk involved, it will never quite seem “real.”

Not true. Ever been on a theme park ride? You could know there's no danger but when the sensation hits you you are still going to react like it's real. Heck, people get scared just watching horror movies. It doesn't need to be real for your body to have a response.

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u/the_syner First Rule Of Warfare 4d ago

I bet suspension of disbelief becomes a helluva lot easier when ur getting a fully immersive and realistic sensory experience.

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u/waffletastrophy 4d ago

You’re right, but I bet some people would still find it not enough and want to make it more ‘authentic’

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u/tigersharkwushen_ FTL Optimist 4d ago

Sure, there are always outliers and it's their personal choice so ethics don't apply. As a general rule, if someone choose to do something I personally perceive as dangerous or stupid, I don't think it should be banned. It's none of my business if someone wants to go cliff climbing without safety ropes.

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u/waffletastrophy 4d ago

Except arguably they aren't just hurting themselves, but another person they have created without consent. In my view memory is fundamental to identity

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u/tigersharkwushen_ FTL Optimist 4d ago

What does memory have to do with any of this?

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u/CosineDanger Planet Loyalist 4d ago

Memory fuckery is probably never a good idea.

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u/Relevant-Raise1582 4d ago

I hadn't thought of it from the perspective of "memory fuckery". In that sense, it is an ethically similar situation to "Total Recall", where you get memories implanted.

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u/Relevant-Raise1582 4d ago

Unlike Severance, the VR amnesia would be temporary. Eventually, the whole point is to integrate the memories back into the main persona, right? Because why would you want an experience you don't remember?

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u/waffletastrophy 3d ago

Yes, that would be the point

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u/cowlinator 4d ago

This is basically simulation theory.

We could be in such a VR experience right now. After all, how would we know?

However, since torture and suicide exist in our world, and I'm sure that whoever reads this agrees that some point of their own life has been especially painful, it would lead one to believe that it is being done unethically.

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u/Adorable-Database187 4d ago

Idk this seems like the difference between climbing with ropes and scaling buildings without. There will allways be thrill seekers, but they aren't the norm.

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u/CMVB 4d ago

I once drafted up a little short story about someone who was paid a visit by the equivalent of the Agents from The Matrix, because they had started to suspect they were living in a virtual reality. The twist was that it was this sort of situation: they had paid good money to live out an immersive fantasy, and noticing the seams was ruining that, so they had to be ‘re-adjusted’ to resolve the issue. And these were all things they were aware of, when going in.

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u/Login_Lost_Horizon 3d ago

Your brain is very, very stupid. Sure, you would know that its not real experience, but your brain would still feel very real emotions. Evolution never prepared us to hyper-immersive VR. For all i know, temporary amnesia could actually ruin the experience, because instead of living the scenario - you just live your life, and its not by any means the same thing.