John Paul Abdou

Professor Atwater
English 1A
December 7, 2012

Virtual Reality; Truth and Illusion

Introduction
Reality is the looking glass that we use to view the world around us. The blueprint
needed to create reality is vital in helping us discover the properties of our perception
which should give us insight on how to manipulate, emulate, or induce a reality that is
virtual. A virtual form of reality is one that is essentially an altered or changed version of
the actual or real world. Therefore, the concept of virtual reality opens the doors to an
infinite amount of possibilities which sparked my interest and came to be the core of my
research. Virtual reality is a hot topic today that is currently in development. Its use is to
find methods that can help people bend or escape their present realities and enter one
that has little to no limitations. The transition into an illusion or virtual reality requires
technology that has not yet been created by modern science. Although, I have come to
realize that the real secret to virtual reality lies within the process of constructing our
present realities. Many great philosophers such as Ramachandran, Plato, and Jung
offer clues that help guide us to find ways in which to enter a virtual reality as they write
about the formation of reality. In addition, many current research studies analyze the
fundamental constructs of reality which integrate the self, the mind, and sensory

stimulation which are necessary in creating a convincing altered reality. My analysis on

reality will hopefully lead me to conclude how we can transition successfully into a
virtual reality simulation. In other words, I intend to research the essence of illusion and
how it can be achieved based on observing the attributes that compose reality itself. I
assume that my research will help me discover how to blur the line between truth and
lies which is essential to the mechanics of virtual reality.

Background and Response to Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is based upon illusion and the art of trickery. To really understand how to
fool ourselves with an illusion we must first understand in detail how the individual reality
is formed. To achieve this task I turned to three well-known philosophers who are Plato,
Carl Jung, and V.S. Ramachandran. They each impart information on reality and its
nature. The neuroscientist and philosopher Ramachandran explores disorders that
involve deficiency in consciousness and self which are two fundamental constructs of
reality. He states, "Mental illness might be thought of as disturbances of consciousness
and of self, two words that conceal great depths of ignorance"(565). Through
Ramachandran's analysis we can concur that the formation of self and consciousness
are based upon infrastructure that are not entirely true and pertaining to reality because
they "conceal ignorance." Our consciousness and identity are therefore two entities

formed which avoid the exposure of truth and in turn our realities reflects this ignorance.
Then I read Plato and he imparts words of wisdom that validate Ramachandran. Plato
believes that we turn from the truth because it is too painful for the individual to bear a
rupture of their current reality that is based on different "truths" (451). This leads me to
realize that our identity and consciousness ultimately avoid the painful truth which is
easily avoided by the illusion that identity and consciousness create through ignorance.
Then I was lead to Jung who introduced me to the unconscious which suggests
information about the creation of reality. Jung makes the point that the unconscious or
what we are not aware of slowly prevails and becomes conscious only when we try to
interpret our cryptic dreams. (497) The unconsciousness, therefore, is attempting to
make its way into our minds, but is prevented to do so by some force that propels it into
hiding within our cryptic dreams. This force that has control over reality and content of
consciousness is most likely the self that tends to avoid the honest truth. As a result, the
self characteristically flees the truth that is painful, creates a refuge in illusion, and
represses the truth at all costs by not allowing the unconsciousness to reveal itself to the
individual. This must mean the true essence of our reality is false in nature and is
composed of a network of lies that exists to maintain our security and avoid the
encounter of the truth which is fundamentally harmful to our grasp on identity. The
identity or self therefore is primarily responsible for the genesis of reality. In conclusion,

a virtual reality can only be created through the proper orchestration of lies which can be
seen as the truth that is determined solely by our identity/self. The research that I
further conducted validates this notion. I will further explore the methods of orchestrating
the lies that are necessary in creating a successful illusion in the next paragraphs to
come. The components that contribute to the illusion of virtual reality are separated into
categories. These categories are comprised of ignorant othering, lay theorizing,
ontological security, conception of fantasy and the manipulation of the senses. These
are all key factors in creating an illusion which in conclusion is the same as reality itself.
Ontological Security
The sense of self or identity we form is greatly influenced by a phenomena known as
ontological security. The definition of ontological security is provided by a psychologist
who a doctorate who tells us that, "ontological security is a "sense of continuity and
order in events, including those not directly within the perceptual environment of the
individual" (Ostertag 826). This basically means that humans desire order and anything
that stands in the way of that order enters the unconscious or is essentially repressed.
Thus, an illusion is maintained when its cracks or inconsistencies are concealed within
the unconscious. The identity is fundamentally formed by the factors that contribute to
the survival of ontological security which are things that generally don't threaten security
and confidence within identity. The only thing threatening to that identity is that which is

not known or also considered the "truth." Hurst, a psychologist with great experience
writes, "The Real persistently threatens"(287). Logically then it is right to assume that
truth would be rejected and as a direct consequence that requires the person to persist
at a static leveled existence that is filled with delusion and a false sense of reality. It is
exactly the components that are non-threatening to a person, usually the
consciousness, that is then responsible in identity formation and as a direct result is also
involved in the creation of reality as well. To maintain an illusion therefore requires the
unconsciousness to remain unconscious until the self can rationalize it or incorporate it
within its image in a non-threatening way. Therefore, the illusion or reality itself ruptures
when its flaws directly confront the self directly. The process of maintaining ontological
security is the same as disposing of these flaws or rationalizing them through another
phenomena known as "lay theorizing", and "ignorant othering." Repression is key to
sustaining an illusion that has its ontological security threatened.
Lay Theorizing
From time to time unconscious truths or repressed thoughts enter the sphere of our
reality attempting to destroy the fabric of our self and with it reality. A method for
eradicating the threat, in the interest of maintaining the illusion of a virtual simulation, is
through the use of "lay theorizing." Ostertag, a social psychologist, defines lay theorizing
as "implicit, naive, intuitive, common sense, and background beliefs" (839). Lay theories

are basically unproven explanations used to rationalize the intrusions of truth within
reality. Ostertag also mentions that Lay theories themselves come from a "superficial"
amount of cognition which implies that the reasoning behind maintaining an illusion
doesn't require much complexity, but rather something that makes sense to the
individual or self (839). The things that make sense or find cohesion with the self are
things that originate from the consciousness or information that helps maintain the
current reality and contributes to ontological security. The existence of lay theories
suggests that humans desire to make sense out of the unknown or unexplainable
situations in life. Lay theorizing ,in a sense, fills the gaps created by an absence in the
truth. An illusion must, therefore, fill the apparent inconsistencies and flaws of the virtual
world with theories that do not risk ontological security because they are grounded in
what is already known as the truth. As a result, an individual must remain static in
knowledge in order to maintain the reality that they currently uphold. Change,
knowledge, and truth which evolve the state of identity are threatening because they
also change the state of reality as well. Therefore anything that brings advancement in
knowledge or truth is eradicated through the use of lay theorizing.

Fantasy
The imaginative limitations of fantasy define the boundaries of the illusion or altered

reality. The fantasy or the " imaginings that have not yet had nuanced descriptions or
narratives" extends the mind to accept any form of reality. (Bonovitz 628) The "fantasy"
represents abstract expression which relates to those component of reality that are not
grounded in truth yet . Although, it can resemble truth because it creates cohesion and
acceptance of the irrational or spurious that are manifested within the virtual simulation.
Reality interpreted to justify fantasy is the only way to truly create a successful virtual
simulation because that "intersection" produces the "illusion" (Bonovitz 629). The
concept of fantasy provides the infrastructure of abstract or unexplained thoughts which
are essential in rationalizing deception that is not grounded in truth. Fantasy allows for
the core of reality to not necessarily require any grounding. Basically, fantasy allows for
the ungrounded to be grounded which is key to maintaining ontological security. Reality
uses fantasy to exist within an illusion. Fantasy fills in the gray areas that are left behind
after rationalizing everything else.

Ignorant Othering
The other is an important component that makes up our reality. The "other" or those that
exist besides the self provide a reflection which provides an image of the self that is
seen by others. "Ignorant othering" is another method used in maintaining ontological
security from the outside world. Ignorant othering is referred to by Osterag, the social

psychologist, as a way to , "foster a belief and that their perceptions of what is real and
true are more grounded and trustworthy than are those of most people" (828). This
suggests that the "others" existence is necessary in order to justify or reflect an image
that is similar to the image that you have formed for yourself in interest to your
ontological security. The "other's" importance is to then justify the ignorance of the self.
In this way, a lack of truth is accepted into reality when that same gap of truth is
reflected within the "other's" interpretation of your self. This method always justifies
illusion because the self fabricates the "other's" interpretation to match that of its own.
This makes the role of the other to repress truth and contain the ignorance of the self by
redirecting it to the other which may or may not exist.
Conclusion
The research process has guided me to discover that the contents of reality are illusory
in nature. The conception of reality is solely based around the maintenance of
ontological security which can only be preserved through phenomena such as lay
theorizing, the structure of fantasy, and ignorant othering. Therefore, justification is key
to sustaining those things that question and challenge reality's structure within a virtual
simulation. Looking at modern forms of altering reality has led me to disappointment.
For example, Time magazine conducted a study in which it discovered that the avatar is
key to entering a different reality. (TIME Castillo) The study neglected to discover the

psychological factors that would sustain the reality when the illusion presented itself as
obviously fictitious. In addition, new technology has surfaced surrounding an innovative
approach to entering a virtual reality based on visual and audio manipulation. This
technology was being discussed in the Huffington Post and was called "The Oculus Rift"
which exposes players to the environment which they wish to be transported to. It uses
primarily visuals in order to connect the self to that world. Visuals and audio can only
sustain a certain level of reality. They are vulnerable to collapsing the reality induced
because there is no form of reassurance or justification to ensure a sustained altered
reality. Finally I discovered something called "Second Life" in which is an online game
that incorporates a virtual realm into the perception of the individual through the use of
an avatar. The author of the book " The Making of Second Life" talks about the
"constructs" of the world and how "immersion" cannot be completely induced because
of a lack in modern science (James 59). Towards this issue I feel that the only way to
gain entrance into a new world involves the training of the self and its ability to maintain
an illusion. This illusion must be a carefully controlled balance of fabrication
accompanied with the constant reassurance of its contents to the self. A psychological
inducement is key to creating a successful altered reality. The process of advocating
entrance into an altered world involves the rejection of any penetration involving the
unconsciousness which commonly exposes the truth and reveals the false nature of

illusions. We need to associate the self with a heightened form of selective

consciousness. In other words, what we believe should be what we are and the
manipulation of what we believe can gain the self access to anywhere. This process
should be investigated in order to further the advancement of virtual reality.

Works Cited

- Castillo,Michelle, "Study: Virtual Reality Personas Influence How You Act in The
Real World." TIME Magazine Jan. 2011. 01 Dec 2012 < http://
techland.time.com/2011/01/27/study-virtual-reality-personas-influencehow-you-act-in-the-real-world/

- Guarini, Drew, " Oculus Rift's Virtual Reality Headset Shows Potential For The
Future of Gaming." The Huffington Post. Aug. 2012. 01 Dec 2012. <http://
www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/02/oculus-rift-virtual

reality_n_1733026.html>

-Plato. "Allegory of the Cave." A World of Ideas. Jacobus, Lee. Boston: Bedford St./
Martin's, 2010. 447-459. Print

- Jung, Carl. "The Personal and Collective Unconscious." A World of Ideas. Jacobus,
Lee. Boston: Bedford St./ Martin's, 2010. 487-501.Print.

- Ramachandram, V.S. "Neuroscience--The New Philosophy." A World of Ideas.

Jacobus, Lee. Boston: Bedford St./Martin's, 2012. 553-570. Print.

-James, Wagner. "The Making of Second Life." New York: HarperCollins Publishers,
2008 . Print

-Ostertag, Stephen. "Processing Culture: Cognition, Ontology, and the News Media."
Sociological Forum 25.4 (2010): 824-848. EBSCO Host. Web 1 Nov. 2012

-Bonovitz, Christopher. "The Interpersonalization of Fantasy: The Linking and DeLinking of Fantasy and Reality." Psychoanalytic Dialogue (2010): 627- 640.

EBSCO Host. Web 1 Nov. 2012

-Hurst, Andrea. "On the Meaning of Being Real: Fantasy and 'the real' in Personal
Identity-Formation." S.Afr.J.Philos. 31.2 (2012): 278-288. EBSCO Host. Web 1
Nov 2012