虚拟现实不具身吗?——以唐·伊德《技术中的身体》为例

Is Virtual Reality a Technology of Disembodiment?——A Study in Don Ihde's Bodies in Technology

唐·伊德从"身体一"与"身体二"的区分出发,认为以互联网为代表的虚拟现实技术因为疏离了面对面的沟通因而是离身性的。然而,以芬博格为代表的西方学者则认为虚拟现实恰恰是具身的,他们批评伊德具身/离身二元对立模式。从现象学和人类学的视域出发,虚拟现实可看成是生活世界本身,虚拟现实不仅有其当代表现,更有其古代谱系,巫术就是原始人的"虚拟现实"。身体与技术之间因而是源始共生的关系。身体不但是一切技术产生之所,而且也是人类"虚拟"客观实在的天然手段。这一视域为我们重新看待虚拟现实和身体与技术的关系提供了新的启发。

Don Ihde distinguished between "Body One" and "Body Two",and thinks that Internet as one of the significant Virtual Reality technology can be seen as "disembodiment" because of the separation of face-to-face communication. However,Feenberg and other western scholars disagree with Don Ihde,they think Internet is precisely embodied. From the perspectives of phenomenology and anthropology,Virtual Reality can be seen as the Life World per se,and VR also has its historical pedigree. Magic can be seen as one of the VR for early humans.Therefore,the body-technology relation can be considered as original symbiosis relation. Body is not only the place that all technologies are generated,but also the natural means by which humans can virtualize the outside world.From these perspectives,we can rethink the term of "Virtual Reality" as well as the body-technology relation.