In Fall 2024 I will be teaching: 

Immersive Experience and Virtual Reality

Current research suggests that having new experiences makes us happier, and that we value new experiences more than acquiring things. Part of living a good life is immersing yourself in interesting and diverse experiences. Traditionally, traveling the world, meeting a lot of different people, learning new skills were good ways of reaching that goal, while sitting in front of a computer screen or a video projector were not. But recent technological advances are making it possible to have immersive and real-like experiences in virtual reality. In this course we will explore immersive experiences and virtual reality, and how they relate, intersect and inform us of wider issues of philosophical interest. 

We use a variety of devices to create immersive experiences: from novels, art installations, and 360-movies, to augmented reality goggles, float tanks, and escape rooms. But, our primary vehicle for immersion will be virtual reality. 

In this class we:

• Explore the phenomenon of immersion, and what it means for everyday life. 

• Look at the ways in which the virtual world can, and does, shape our experiences and our sense of self.

• Discuss some ethical and metaphysical challenges the virtual world poses. 

• Consider the opportunities they present for learning, problem solving, improving human interaction, and eliminating bias. 

Social and Ethical Issues in Computing

This class introduces ethics through contemporary social and political issues concerning computing technology. Topics include: algorithmic bias and fairness, data privacy, cybersecurity, surveillance, free speech, automation, virtual reality and artificial intelligence. A running theme will be how technologies are situated within social and political systems, and what kinds of ethical implications that brings. In her recent book Weapons of Math Destruction, Cathy O’Neil writes: 

Data is not going away. Nor are computers—much less mathematics. Predictive models are, increasingly, the tools we will be relying on to run our institutions, deploy our resources, and manage our lives. But as I’ve tried to show throughout this book, these models are constructed not just from data but from the choices we make about which data to pay attention to—and which to leave out. Those choices are not just about logistics, profits, and efficiency. They are fundamentally moral. 

Computing technology is here to stay, and the decisions we make concerning how to use this technology really are fundamentally moral decisions.