Is Consciousness First in Virtual Reality?
Frontiers in psychology January 1, 2022 Mel Slater, Maria V Sanchez-Vives
The abstract contrasts two views of consciousness: the standard scientific view that matter is primary and consciousness arises from brain activity, versus an alternative view that consciousness is a primary force in nature from which physical laws might derive. The authors argue that virtual reality (VR) provides an experimental context where consciousness is a first-order phenomenon, making the alternative view intuitively accessible. They discuss the Interface Theory of Perception, which holds that perceptions are not veridical but based on evolutionary payoffs, and suggest this theory accurately describes perception and consciousness within VR. They propose an experimental study to explore this but do not draw conclusions about physical reality or challenge the emergence of consciousness from brain function.