“Virtual reality” has been defined in many ways by many experts, each slightly differing depending on the discipline. The linguistic definitions found in English dictionaries are different from the ones used by programmers in computing, which are different from the philosophical postulations found in theoretical works. For the purpose of this project we’ve developed a comprehensive understanding based on all these relevant fields, that is specific enough for clarity, but also general enough to invite exploration and evolution/adaptations that may not have been considered by the progenitors and pioneers of VR. So this is the definition that ILLUSORR will be using;
Virtual reality – all simulated arenas and immersive experiences recursively affecting the perceptual senses.
There are multiple reasons for having this specific wording and understanding; for example, Elon Musk’s Neuralink is within a couple of years of being realized and these implanted chips in the brain are completely capable of creating simulated experiences and will make VR goggles redundant.
This is also why the dictionary definition which “consists of images and sounds created by a computer” is inadequate and will soon become obsolete. The ‘virtual’ we speak of is that of perception – not juxtaposing reality – but rather physicality. Similar to the usage of the term ‘virtuality’ in philosophy by scholars such as Gilles Deleuze and Henri Bergson. This is a very important distinction because as we continue to study and understand the brain, consciousness and quantum physics better, we learn that perception and reality might actually be further apart than ever previously conceived. This is covered in much more detail in theories such as ‘Orch-OR’ by Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff, ‘Interface Theory’ by Donald Hoffman, ‘Object Oriented Ontology’ by Graham Harman, and many others. Therefore, VR should be defined generally as an experience that recursively stimulates the senses in a way that hacks the physical restrictions of spatial geometry (Euclidean, Hilbertian, Minkowskian, Einsteinian, Riemannian or otherwise), whether by photons communicated as radio waves, or other new methods developed in the future.