Becoming Virtual: Reality in the Digital Age Export

@book{citeulike:430870, abstract = {{Pierre Levy takes a fresh look at the whole idea of what is virtual. He's responding to the widespread belief, and sometimes even panic, that a digital society with emphasis on virtual interactions is necessarily depersonalizing. He takes particular exception to the notion that "virtual" and "real" are opposites. Instead, Levy argues that virtuality is one of four modes of existence, the rest of which he describes as reality, possibility, and actuality. Each is defined in terms of its relationship with its environment. <p> In following Levy's world view, you may find that he interprets some or all of those terms in ways you're not used to, but the result is an interesting new approach to what it means to be part of an increasingly digital world. He examines the virtualization of several elements our society: the corporal body, text, the economy, language, technology, contracts, intelligence, subjects, and objects. What he finds is not a destruction of the personal so much as a transformation. Virtualization adds to, but does not replace, the real, the possible, and the actual. By understanding what virtualization means and involves, Levy believes that society will gain a greater variety of options for interaction in all areas. <I>Becoming Virtual</I> is a serious philosophical work, dense with ideas. It demands a lot from the reader, but rewards with an intriguing new perspective on inevitable social change. <I>--Elizabeth Lewis</I>}}, author = {Levy, Pierre}, citeulike-article-id = {430870}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike09-20&amp;path=ASIN/0306457881}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike01-21&amp;path=ASIN/0306457881}, citeulike-linkout-2 = {http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike06-21&amp;path=ASIN/0306457881}, citeulike-linkout-3 = {http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0306457881/citeulike00-21}, citeulike-linkout-4 = {http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike07-20&path=ASIN/0306457881}, citeulike-linkout-5 = {http://www.worldcat.org/isbn/0306457881}, citeulike-linkout-6 = {http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0306457881}, citeulike-linkout-7 = {http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?keywords=0306457881&index=books&linkCode=qs}, citeulike-linkout-8 = {http://www.librarything.com/isbn/0306457881}, howpublished = {Hardcover}, isbn = {0306457881}, keywords = {collaboration, cyberspace, internet, new\_media}, month = {March}, posted-at = {2005-12-08 20:30:01}, priority = {2}, publisher = {{Plenum Publishing Corporation}}, title = {Becoming Virtual: Reality in the Digital Age}, url = {http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike07-20&path=ASIN/0306457881}, year = {1998} }

TY - BOOK ID - citeulike:430870 L3 - citeulike-article-id:430870 N2 - {Pierre Levy takes a fresh look at the whole idea of what is virtual. He's responding to the widespread belief, and sometimes even panic, that a digital society with emphasis on virtual interactions is necessarily depersonalizing. He takes particular exception to the notion that "virtual" and "real" are opposites. Instead, Levy argues that virtuality is one of four modes of existence, the rest of which he describes as reality, possibility, and actuality. Each is defined in terms of its relationship with its environment. <p> In following Levy's world view, you may find that he interprets some or all of those terms in ways you're not used to, but the result is an interesting new approach to what it means to be part of an increasingly digital world. He examines the virtualization of several elements our society: the corporal body, text, the economy, language, technology, contracts, intelligence, subjects, and objects. What he finds is not a destruction of the personal so much as a transformation. Virtualization adds to, but does not replace, the real, the possible, and the actual. By understanding what virtualization means and involves, Levy believes that society will gain a greater variety of options for interaction in all areas. <I>Becoming Virtual</I> is a serious philosophical work, dense with ideas. It demands a lot from the reader, but rewards with an intriguing new perspective on inevitable social change. <I>--Elizabeth Lewis</I>} SN - 0306457881 TI - Becoming Virtual: Reality in the Digital Age PB - {Plenum Publishing Corporation} KW - collaboration KW - cyberspace KW - internet KW - new_media AU - Levy, Pierre PY - 1998/03/01/ UR - http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike09-20&amp;path=ASIN/0306457881 ER -