On the Metaphysics of the Metaverse

Are what we experiencing reality? Or are just believing it to be so while living in simulation?

It is a question that has plagued metaphysics for century. The Matrix (1999) brought it to the forefront of popular culture, and even now it lives in the fringes of conspiracy theory circles. The past decade’s rapid development in VR technology pulled the discussion out of philosophy classrooms.

Then Mark Zuckerberg decided to change his company name to Meta, and something shifted.

The concept of a Metaverse wasn’t unexpected; at least for those keeping in touch with the horizons of technology. Many would argue here that Zuckerberg is being given an undue credit for a concept which has preceded him by decades, but I digress. The giant behemoth that is Facebook has had a considerable impact in bringing the network effect of the internet outside of its professional domain. Social networking was not a new concept, but Facebook managed to emerge at the right time for it to capture the worlds interest. Loved and loathed as it is, no one can deny that it was (and is, if you consider Instagram and WhatsApp) the social netowrk of a world.

Coming back to the matter at hand, on that fateful day in October of 2021, Mark Zuckerburg did gave the metaverse movement the most important catalyst — the promise of a profitable future.

Startups working in the space would agree — albeit grudgingly — that investors were suddenly tripping over their feet to be involved in projects, which until a few months before were deemed not realistic. Most considered these themes ‘too far off in the future’. But one announcemet later, profitability suddenly became irrelevant because if Facebook — sorry, “Meta" — wants to get in, then it must be great.

Even some tech conservatives were swayed. But most of the detractors — fundamentalists who could see no real way to make money in a virtual space, have since tried kept a wary eye on the whole matter.

And then came the NFTs.

Blockchain is perhaps the most revolutionary piece of technology that I have seen in my lifetime. It is a simple idea, it has a simple implementation. Most people, when explained the mechanics of the technology, give an intrigued shrug. On its own, it is one of those amazingly complex yet unimpressive pieces of innovation (think the simultaneous channel technology in communication). But implemented creatively, it can (and has) disrupted every aspect of the technological space in its brief period of existence.

In theory, it is perhaps the most effective form of record keeping. A distributed ledger system is a much better system than any centralised system. We eliminate the problems of security and continuity. Blockchain is as impactful today as the double entry system was in its time. It is beyond revolutionary; and therein lies it’s problem. It eliminates the need for centralisation and oversight.

A truly free economy is fundamentally at odds with any common basket of morals. We don’t want the free trade of things that society deems as illicit. We don’t want weapons—at least the mass murdering kind to be freely traded. We don’t want narcotics to be freely traded. And we most certainly don’t want humans to be traded.

Thus any society based on morals cannot have completely free trade.

The government’s of the world have traditionally been responsible to ensure this—at least in theory. Regulation needs to be part of the currency side of the trades, as it is impossible to track the other side with any reliability. And then blockchain threw a wrench in the smoothly running engine.

Science fiction has been the domain of these ideas until now. We have explored these ideas thoroughly, both in popular culture as well as niche philosophical debates. Any individual not technologically insulated has the same reaction when asked about the future of Metaverse and what it means for them; an unexplainable dread. Yet we are still going ahead at full steam.

15 years ago, when I entered the internet as a user, I was warned by the society around me to never share my personal information on the internet. Despite my best efforts, I know I haven’t been remotely successful in keeping my privacy.

But the narrative has changed now. We have millions of new users, all being encouraged to actively share their information voluntarily. And they are doing it.

The ethics of this merits a separate conversation altogether, but the point relevant here is of what it means for the Metaverse in the future.

Any and all users of any internet services—which will be everyone — will have their counterparts in the digital space. The most difficult part of the Metaverse to create — its users base— will come. It will perhaps take a few years. Perhaps even a decade or two. But it will come. And then the fun begins.

Social media spaces have already shown the level of anarchy that virtual spaces create. Anarchy is undesirable, and so arrive the rules and regulations. Then come the laws, and ‘admins' become governers. And of course, the inequalities of wealth.

But the Metaverse has something that reality cannot emulate; at least not with the technology as it exists now. It can change everything. Just like the Matrix, you can hack the code. In a digitially generated world, you (your avatar) can be younger and healthier than in reality; if programmed creatively, they maybe able to fly. Have all the abilities that we merely dream of. Be a god in another realm.

An outlook like this seems cynical, but is it really? We can deny it all we want, but the seed of the future are being sown in front of us now. It’s true that much of the work currently in any of the labs is far removed from any actual deployable system. The avatars are cartoonish, the mechanics severely limited, and with the upcoming tech coldfront on the way, it is very unlikely.

But in a world where video games are increasingly becoming massively multiplayer domains where one can pay to to access premium cosmetics and lootboxes, will not the new metaverse try and capitulate on its users desires? When everyone uses the metaverse, would not the affluent wish to showcase their wealth? Here they do it through a Gucci handbag, but in the metaverse they may simply pay to be gods.

That is not even considering the impact NFTs will have on this space. Already multiple attempts are underway to offer the users access to rare digital assets through the use of NFTs. A Gucci handbag in the digital flesh if you will.

In all seriousness, I do not believe that the Metaverse will replace reality for the vast majority of us. I do not think, nor wish to imply a dystopian future of this sort. But it is becoming more and more evident that the Metaverse will to a large extent replace our existing social media platforms.

There are many amongst us who have already found themselves deeper and deeper into the chasms of the world of social media. Influencer and Lurkers alike, we find ourselves too tightly integrated in our favorite platforms. It matters to us who we meet there; how we interact with them. We have not consciously separated the digital and real, because the information on it is real.

The past decade of the social media networks have compiled and analysed user data to generate revenue the best way possible. But they have barely scratched the surface, especially considering the potential of a Metaverse. With such a diverse fields of applications within the metaverse itself, there is no doubt that eventually it will be the auxiliary world to the main platform.

What will such a life look like? Immersing completely in another world periodically to experience a lifestyle which is unique and separate from this one.

Along the journey we must inevitably face more questions about the implications — both ethical and metaphysical. Are we still living in reality when we spend most of our time in a virtual world? Are we still human when we can create and control our own avatars, giving us abilities and characteristics that are beyond our physical limitations? Is it right to actually do so?

However, one thing is certain — the Metaverse is not just a concept anymore. It is rapidly becoming a reality that will have a significant impact on our lives in ways we cannot yet fully comprehend. The potential for the Metaverse to revolutionize industries such as entertainment, education, and even work is immense.

But with great potential comes great responsibility. We must ensure that as the Metaverse expands, it is done so in an ethical and equitable manner. We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past when it comes to privacy, security, and power imbalances. The Arms Race, the Space Race and now the AI Race is showcasing just how rapidly the development and adaptation of technology can go awry when powerful actors get involved. And make no mistake, a virtual world which most of us — if not all — will inhabit one day is too lucrative of an opportunity to be ignored. Especially given the fact that even the natural laws of such a world are up for grabs.

I do not know what needs to be done. There are many possible solutions, and many more issues underlying each of them. What I do know is that it will affect us in more ways than we can imagine. And before the world finally settles on a solution which promises minimal harm to everyone involved, the consequences will not be desirable at all.