Universe of Platonic Thought 2024

32nd International Conference “The Universe of Platonic Thought: Plato’s Heritage in the History of Science and Education”

Mahsuda Nurmamatovna Normamatova, DSc in Philosophy, Associate Professor; Samarkand State University named after Sharof Rashidov (Samarkand, Uzbekistan), Associate Professor

The idea of virtualism in ancient philosophy*

This article discusses the paradigm of the new direction of virtualism. It provides information about the idea of ancient virtualism and virtual reality. The etymology of the concept of virtualistics is also substantiated. An integral feature of the life of modern man is his close interaction with virtual reality, while the new phenomenon of the modern information society is considered using paradigmatic, categorical and phenomenological positions, and it is logical to assert that virtualism at the beginning of the third millennium acquired the status of a philosophical category. Many researchers consider virtual reality a new sphere of existence, and information space as a form of existence of virtual reality. These interactions are carried out as virtual analogues of real social interactions. Ancient philosophers used utopia or ideas instead of virtualism. Although ancient philosophers did not use the term “virtualistics” and could not imagine modern virtual reality technologies, their reflections on the nature of perception, reality and illusion anticipate many modern ideas.

Keywords: virtualistics, ancient, idea, virtual reality, virtual image, illusion, skepticism, simulation.

The idea of virtualism in ancient philosophy is associated with concepts that relate to the nature of reality, illusions and perception. Although the term “virtualistics” itself was not used in ancient philosophy, several philosophical ideas and schools can be identified that raised questions about the nature of reality and illusion, which has similarities with the modern concept of virtualistics.

One of the most famous ancient philosophers, whose ideas can be considered as an anticipation of virtualism, is Plato. His theory of the world of ideas suggests the existence of two worlds:

- The world of ideas (eidos): the world of perfect, unchanging and eternal forms that are true reality.

- The world of phenomena: the physical world, which we perceive with our senses, is only a shadow or reflection of the world of ideas. This world is changeable and imperfect.

Plato illustrated his theory in the famous myth of the cave, where people chained to the cave wall see only the shadows of objects projected by fire. They accept these shadows as the only reality, not knowing about the existence of true objects outside the cave. This allegory can be interpreted as an early form of virtualism, where the perceived reality is just an illusion. One of the most famous concepts close to the idea of virtualism is the metaphor of the cave, proposed by Plato in the Republic. In this metaphor, Plato describes a group of people who, from birth, are chained to the walls of a cave and see only the shadows of objects projected onto the wall by the light from the fire. These shadows are their only reality, but in reality they are only a distorted reflection of the true world. Plato uses this metaphor to show that our sense perceptions can be deceptive, and that true knowledge is achieved through philosophical reflection and understanding of the world of ideas. In this context, we can say that the sensory world is a kind of “virtual reality” that hides the true nature of existence.

The Pythagoreans believed that numbers and mathematical relationships are the basis of all things. In their opinion, the world is a harmonious structure based on numerical patterns. This idea is close to modern concepts of virtual reality, in which the world can be represented as a mathematical or digital simulation.

Skeptics such as Pyrrho argued that it was impossible to achieve reliable knowledge of the world. They questioned the reliability of the senses and reason in knowing reality. Skepticism can be seen as a philosophical position that questions the reality of the perceived world, which also resonates with the ideas of virtualism. They questioned the possibility of knowing objective reality, believing that our ideas about the world could be illusory. This skepticism creates the preconditions for understanding the world as potentially virtual or simulated.

Heraclitus argued that everything is in constant change and that it is impossible to step into the same river twice. His ideas about the variability and instability of the world can also be related to the concepts of virtual reality, where constant change creates illusory perceptions.

The philosophy of Epicurus and atomists such as Democritus argued that everything that exists is composed of atoms and void. Atoms move through space, forming various combinations from which all things are made. This view can be interpreted as describing a world built from elementary units, similar to how modern virtual reality is built from pixels or bits of information.

They argued that our perceptions are the result of the interaction of atoms. Although their views were materialistic, their view of the world as a conglomeration of atoms that can create illusions has some parallels with modern ideas about virtual worlds created from bits of information.

Although ancient philosophers did not use the term "virtualistics", their ideas about the nature of reality, illusion and perception can be interpreted as early forms of virtualistic thought. Plato, the skeptics, Heraclitus, and the atomists made significant contributions to the philosophical understanding of what is real and what is illusory, which is still a pressing issue in modern philosophy and the science of virtual realities.

The epistemological origin of the term “virtuality” goes back to the Latin word “virtus”. In the language and spirituality of the ancient Romans, the word was used in many meanings and contexts. Researchers note the following meanings of the term “virtus”: moral value, goodness, kindness, imagination, courage, potentiality, unreality, etc. [1] The thinkers Cicero and Seneca used this term in the meaning of “virtue”.

In the spirituality of the Western Middle Ages and the Renaissance, based on Latin, the term “virtus” retained its previously existing meanings.[2], representatives of philosophy and science (Augustine, F. Aquinas, N. Cusanus, N. Orem, etc.) were also used in such meanings as “ability”, “inner strength”, “potency”, “power”[3]. From here on

* 1. Nosov N. A. Thomas Aquinas and the category of virtuality // Virtual reality: philosophical and psychological problems. - M., 1997. - P. 81. 2. In his Experiments, Montaigne uses the word virtus to mean virtue, strength, spirit, greatness, fortitude, referring to Seneca’s “Avido est periculi virtus” (“Courage leads to danger”). See Montaigne. Experiments. Selected chapters. - M., 1991. - P.48. 3. Muhammadiev Kh.Kh. Philosophical and historical analysis of the concept of “virtuality”. The basis of science and education is independence. Materials of the Republican Scientific-Theoretical Seminar. - Samarkand Tashkent, 2013. - B. 64 - 65. 4. Kovalevskaya E. Virtual reality: philosophical and methodological analysis: Diss. ... candies. philosophy science M., 1998. – P.112. 5. Al-Farabi. Reasoning about meanings (Slovak) reason. Al-Farabi. Philosophical treatises. - Alm-Ata, 1970. - P. 24. 6. Farabi. Commentary on Aristotle's "Categories". Selected works of thinkers from the countries of the Near and Middle East. - M., 1961. - P.191. 7. Ibn Sina. Knowledge of the book. Ibn Sina. Selected productions. - M.: Nauka, 1980. - P.132-133.