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The postmodern reality of the Internet is not only challenging our values but the very understanding of our reality, lives and our soul. Thomas Moore points out that «Soul» is not a thing, but a quality or dimension of experiencing life and ourselves. «It has to do with depth, value, relatedness, heart and personal substance.»1 In the ever changing interaction with others on the Net, one may not even know if the «other» one is communicating with is a she, a he, or an «it.» Before discussing some ethical questions relating to human-computer interaction, it is necessary to make some comments on the very nature of «reality» in the virtual sphere.
In the virtual worlds of the Internet, and especially in the MUD's there
are not only humans but also artificial intelligence (AI). They are often
affectionately called «bots,» built by enterprising players.
Professor of Sociology at MIT, Sherry Turkle gives a good description of
the unaware interaction with bots within the reality of a MUD,
"When you wander about in a MUD, you find yourself in conversations
with them, you find yourself asking them for directions, thanking them for
being helpful, ordering drinks from them at a virtual bar, telling them
a joke. And you find yourself doing all of these things before you know
that they are not people but "things." 2
Of course, there is an ongoing ethical discussion of whether «they» should or should not announce their artificiality, a discussion of full disclosure taking place in a virtual world context where changing gender, race and species is the norm!
The basic issue is regarding what the virtual reality is
doing to the idea of being a human versus a «thing,» and even
more how this affects our concepts of how to interpret reality. Turkle emphasizes
that the computers do not present people with ideas as did traditional philosophy,
but rather presented experiences, an ongoing culture that provoked a new
philosophy in everyday life. The ordinary computer interface enables a person
to be present interactively in several windows at the same time. This «neutral»
technique may strongly influence our idea of interpreting reality. Turkle
takes Doug, a Midwestern college junior as an example,
"I split my mind. I'm getting better at it. I can see myself as beeing
two or three or more. And I just turn on one part of my mind and then another
when I go from window to window. I'm in some kind of argument in one window
and trying to come on a girl in a MUD in another, and another window might
be running a spreadsheet program or some other technical thing for school.....
And then I'll get a real time message [that flashes on the screen as soon
as it is sent from another system user] and I guess that's RL. («Real
life,» my comment) It's just one more window." 3
As Turkle points out, "RL is just one more window," he repeats, "and it's not usually my best one." 4
In other words, reality becomes more and more complex, and less «real»
in the meaning of human interaction. There is not necessarily a human «You»
present in a computer mediated dialogue, like the traditional dialogue described
by Martin Buber as fundamental to us as human beings. Reshaping oneself
into another gender, creature or «thing» for the sake of the
«game» in the MUD is perfectly acceptable. In one way, one may
wonder if this postmodern lifestyle contributes to the meaninglessness and
void feeling in many postmodern humans. Not only is reality becoming less
clear and visible, the whole concept of who «I» am is also becoming
foggy and less important. The virtual MUD-reality is a fluid, humanly created
«product» which one can conveniently change as one please, or
ultimately erasing the person from the play. As Walter Truett Anderson says,
"We have constructed about ourselves (and within ourselves) an environment of symbols and cannot tell where symbols leaves off and nonhuman reality begins, cannot (as the general semantics put it) tell the map from the territory." 5
This postmodern confusion of reality also makes the God-given reality of relationship and responsibilities between God and Man unclear and relative. In a Christian context, the new virtual reality will ever more demand a clear and visible picture of God as the Trinitarian God, the real Creator of Heaven and earth, of all "visible and invisible" (Nicaenum). Also, an equally immanent understanding of Jesus Christ as the true Savior for all human beings, created with soul and with an intrinsic value in the image of God, fundamentally different from whatever artificial «thing» in artificial life. Finally, an understanding of the Holy Spirit working by the living word of God also communicated in cyberspace, not toward any artificial «bot», but calling real human beings into an intimate and real relationship with the one true Lord and Savior.
However, one must not be blind for the fact that the Christian worldview
intersects with the postmodern worldview at some important junctures. In
the book «Jesus for a New Generation» Kevin Ford points out
some key issues.
An acceptance of the existence of the supernatural. The modern era disregarded and ignored the spiritual dimension of our humanity in favor of the scientific method. By contrast, the postmodern era reaffirms a belief that Christians have always held to be true: the world of spirit is real, and we are spiritual beings.
The questioning of the autonomous self. Modern man ws a rugged individual. Postmodern people are interactive parts of a larger whole.
The emphasis on a communal reality. The Christian faith,
according to the Bible, is to be lived out within a context of healing relationships.
...
The emphasis on responsible stewardship of the environment. The modern mindset
sought to master and tame nature. The postmodern mindset challenges this
worldview and seeks to live in harmony with nature. The biblical Christian
sees a need to carefully balance these two worldviews." 6
Although this is true Christians should, as Ford writes,
«be careful not to buy into all of its concepts. For example, we cannot agree with the notion that there is no objective truth, no transcendent center of existence.» 7 The very basic challenge will be to strengthen the idea of a God-given reality, of revealed truth which are valid throughout eternity. Proclaiming the God-given ability of relationship and stimulating real interaction. God,--or Jesus--is not «virtual» and relative depending upon whatever perception of history or reality a person might have. We confess the God of history and his interaction with the human world through Jesus Christ as an objective truth. At the same time, we are challenged by the new tools of modern computer technology to not only proclaim the good news of the gospel in the virtual world but as active participants in the many forums of this society to manifest a «Christ-like» lifestyle as a holistic witness of a uncompromisingly real, living faith.
Endnotes:
1 Thomas Moore, The Care of the Soul, (New York: HarperCollins, 1992), 5.
2 Sherry Turkle, "Construction and Reconstruction of the Self in Virtual Reality", n.d. Paper available from http://web.mit.edu/sturkle/www.RecentPublication.html;Internet.
3 Sherry Turkle, Life on the Screen. Identity in the Age of the Internet. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995), 13.
4 Ibid.
5 Anderson, Reality Isn't What It Used to Be, ix.
6 Ford, Jesus for a new generation, 124f.
7 Ibid., 125.