BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//Grails iCalendar plugin//NONSGML Grails iCalendar plugin//EN VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260414T224147Z DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20251023T161500 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20251023T181500 SUMMARY:Virtual Reality and Knowing What It Is Like UID:20260415T091804Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-x5n6c TZID:Australia/Melbourne LOCATION:Arts West\, University of Melbourne\, Melbourne\, Australia DESCRIPTION:

Can virtual reality help us to &ldquo\;walk in the shoes&rdquo\; of other people? Optimists claim that VR is the &ldquo\;ultimate empathy machine&rdquo\;\, a way for those who have never been to war\, lived on the streets\, or been a refugee\, to know what it is like to have these experiences from the comfort of their living room. Pessimists hold that it is absurd and dangerous to think that VR could be a way of acquiring &lsquo\;what it is like&rsquo\; knowledge. In this talk I will develop a position which can accommodate the important insights of the pessimist&rsquo\;s critique\, whilst also allowing us to agree with a qualified version of the optimist&rsquo\;s claim that VR could help us to acquire &lsquo\;what it is like&rsquo\; knowledge. This position builds on previous work I have done showing how &lsquo\;what it is like&rsquo\; knowledge comes in different grades and degrees. \;

ORGANIZER;CN=Jenny Judge: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR