From: chmilar@Apple.COM (Michael Chmilar)
Newsgroups: alt.sex,alt.cyberpunk,misc.legal
Subject: Re: Virtual Ethics
Date: 10 Apr 92 06:17:25 GMT
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA

kim3@husc10.harvard.edu (Jason Kim) writes:

>You see, first of all, 
>since in a VR world a person can take whatever form he or she desires, the
>feeling that we present-day people experience of not being able to make our-
>selves look good will disappear. If Mary has what it takes to attract Bubba
>and she knows it, her confidence in herself will be such that she won't care
>about not looking like Kathy Ireland in the physical world.

>Which brings me to my second hypothesis. I think that everyone on such a net
>will learn to value the *substantial* things in others, rather than just their 
>physical charm (insubstantial because it is accidental and temporary)
>thus leading to a greater maturity of society. I think this will be especially
>true in light of the fact that *everyone* will be able to make themselves
>look "perfect" (by modern standards). If everyone can look like the ideal
>model, then the value of having an ideal appearance drops to nothing, and the
>value of looks as a criterion of personal worth drops to nothing.

We still have a physical body.  We still have to breed, at some stage 
during these wonderful relationships.

Throughout history, physical attractiveness has been highly influenced
by fashion.  The chubby ladies that Rubens painted, and that turned men
on in the 1910's and 20's are no longer considered to be the pinnacle of
perfection, because the media has thrust the image of fit, aerobicized
women at us and said, "this is attractive."

In any VR world, if there is mass communal interaction, there will be some
notion of fashion.  Fashion may be based on this mechanism:  I have some
unique trait (tall/short, thin/fat, able to spew out large prime numbers
quickly, good color sense, etc.) which I manage to convince other people
is cool and worthwhile, so it becomes fashionable.  Not everyone has the
same ability.

Therefore, cliques will still exist.  So will prejudice.  don't make the
mistake of thinking that a brand new VR world will be utopia.  The only
way that could happen is to have some totalitarian VR government which
enforces utter equality.

Americans have completely screwed up notion of equality, somehow derived
from misinterpreting their constitution.  "All men are created equal" does
not mean that all men (or women) have equal abilities.  Some are smart,
some are stupid.  Some are strong, some are weak.  What the constitution
means is that no one should be excluded from an opportunity (a job, etc.)
based upon race, age, sex, etc.  However, if you try to do something, and
fail because you are incapable of doing it, that is just too bad for you!

This will be the same in a VR world.  If you say that less capable people
will be assisted by an AI "agent", then the more capable people will also
get agents that again give them an edge.  How will these agents be obtained?
You will probably have to buy them.  Capable people will be able to get
the "money" needed for good agents more easily than less capable people.

Is this starting to sound familiarly like the real world?  Surprise, surprise.
Reality isn't the way it is for totally arbitrary reasons.  It is only
semi-random.

Utopias never work.  Communist Russia was supposed to be one, and look how
that turned out.  "From each according to his abilities, to each according
to his needs."  Yah!  Sure!  And monkeys will fly out of my butt!

Mike