<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The present article discusses the thoughts of Gregory of Nazianzus in relation to virtual reality especially man-made virtual reality in all its forms. We argue that the benefits of virtual reality, such as freedom, imagination, creativity can be paradoxically curtailed by virtual reality itself, since it is highly subjective and as its medium shows, can be an <italic>a priori</italic> matrix and prison for the human being. Gregory of Nazianzus, building his theology on a firm basis on substance and contemplation, offers a way out, where one acknowledges everything around us as beneficial and beautiful and therefore free, but this must be based on a firm grounding of truthfulness and guidance offered by an all-encompassing form of Divine love and creativity.</p>
</abstract>

The present article discusses the thoughts of Gregory of Nazianzus in relation to virtual reality especially man-made virtual reality in all its forms. We argue that the benefits of virtual reality, such as freedom, imagination, creativity can be paradoxically curtailed by virtual reality itself, since it is highly subjective and as its medium shows, can be an a priori matrix and prison for the human being. Gregory of Nazianzus, building his theology on a firm basis on substance and contemplation, offers a way out, where one acknowledges everything around us as beneficial and beautiful and therefore free, but this must be based on a firm grounding of truthfulness and guidance offered by an all-encompassing form of Divine love and creativity.

Virtual reality and imagination - a possible ethical framework based on the thought of Gregory of Nazianzus

Ethics & Bioethics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The present article discusses the thoughts of Gregory of Nazianzus in relation to virtual reality especially man-made virtual reality in all its forms. We...

Virtual reality and imagination - a possible ethical framework based on the thought of Gregory of Nazianzus

Published Online: Dec 12, 2020

Page range: 116 - 132

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ebce-2020-0017

Keywords
Gregory of Nazianzus, virtual reality, imagination, internet, ethics

© 2020 Václav Ježek, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Virtual reality and imagination - a possible ethical framework based on the thought of Gregory of Nazianzus

Published Online: Dec 12, 2020

Page range: 116 - 132

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ebce-2020-0017

KeywordsGregory of Nazianzus, virtual reality, imagination, internet, ethics

© 2020 Václav Ježek, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Gregory of Nazianzus, virtual reality, imagination, internet, ethics