Abstract
As we approach the metaverse, individual and group heterodoxy may very well find a place to run free. As the virtual and physical become more interconnected, interdependent, and indistinguishable, people could choose to live more and more of their lives in a gray zone between physical and virtual worlds. Because of the inherent qualities of the metaverse – namely, pseudonymity, ill-defined norms, and hyper agency – the environment could become characterized by unprecedented change to social structures. If the metaverse develops on its present course and humans increasingly live, work, and interact with one another in this environment, then people will have unforeseen freedom and empowerment to challenge orthodoxy. Using a social philosophical approach, this essay explores this hypothesis, offers objections and counterarguments, and then evaluates and synthesizes these positions.
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
2022 Special Focus—At the Crossroads of Paradigms: Considering Heterodoxy in the Social Sciences
KEYWORDS
Metaverse, Philosophy, Web3, Blockchain, Heterodoxy, Cryptocurrency
