Abstract
Contemporary ICTs such as speaking machines and computer games tend to create illusions. Is this ethically problematic? Is it deception? And what kind of “reality” do we presuppose when we talk about illusion in this context? Inspired by work on similarities between ICT design and the art of magic and illusion, responding to literature on deception in robot ethics and related fields, and briefly considering the issue in the context of the history of machines, this paper discusses these questions through the lens of stage magic and illusionism, with the aim of reframing the very question of deception. It investigates if we can take a more positive or at least morally neutral view of magic, illusion, and performance, while still being able to understand and criticize the relevant phenomena, and if we can describe and evaluate these phenomena without recourse to the term “deception” at all. This leads the paper into a discussion about metaphysics and into taking a relational and narrative turn. Replying to Tognazzini, the paper identifies and analyses two metaphysical positions: a narrative and performative non-dualist position is articulated in response to what is taken to be a dualist, in particular Platonic, approach to “deception” phenomena. The latter is critically discussed and replaced by a performative and relational approach which avoids a distant “view from nowhere” metaphysics and brings us back to the phenomena and experience in the performance relation. The paper also reflects on the ethical and political implications of the two positions: for the responsibility of ICT designers and users, which are seen as co-responsible magicians or co-performers, and for the responsibility of those who influence the social structures that shape who has (more) power to deceive or to let others perform.
Highlights
Many contemporary ICTs seem to afford experiences and raise ethical questions that are often framed with terms such as “virtual reality”, “illusion”, and “deception”
Computer games, virtual reality, and augmented reality technologies are seen as creating the illusion of a different, “virtual” world, and some robots—especially so-called “social robots”—are seen as deceiving users into thinking that they are real persons, that they are companions, that they are animals, that they can speak, that they can feel, and so on
Commenting on Second Life, Pasquinelli (2010) has identified three illusions in virtual reality (VR): ‘the illusion that the artificial world is real, the illusion of non-mediation, and the illusion of being in the virtual environment.’ (p. 201) She has raised the question if and how this illusion is ethically different from other kinds of make believe such as children games (p. 205) In discussions about games, there is the question if violence in games
Summary
Many contemporary ICTs seem to afford experiences and raise ethical questions that are often framed with terms such as “virtual reality”, “illusion”, and “deception”.
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