With the aid of digital devices,the metaverse has transformed Hilary Putnam's thought experience of"Brain in a Vat"from an armchair science fiction scenario into a cutting-edge technology with immense potential.A forward-looking philosophical question concerning the metaverse is whether the ontological gap between the virtual and the real world can be bridged.Using semantic externalism,Putnam provides a negative answer to this question,which is unsatis-factory because there are criticisms such as the fallacy of petitio principii,the fallacy of transcendental argumentation,the absence of extended mind,and the fallacy of impossible knowledge.Therefore,it not only fails to genuinely refute semantic internalism,but also does not help in clearing the metaphysical obstacles for metaverse technology.Drawing on Nick Bostrom's"simulation hypothesis"and David Chalmers'distinction between the concepts of"metaverse"and"meta-universe,"this paper proposes an alternative approach-structural realism.This approach could not only help clarify the rationality and limitations of the semantic externalism,but is also metaphysically advantageous.
关键词
元宇宙/"钵中之脑"/模拟假说/语义外部论/结构实在论
Key words
metaverse/Brain in a Vat/simulation hypothesis/semantic externalism/structural realism
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