Abstract

This paper aims to determine the ontology of virtual reality from a historical and systematic point of view. The term “virtual reality” is often used synonymously with “illusion”, “immersion”, “simulation” or “fiction”. Against this anti-realistic view, the paper argues that virtual reality is a genuine kind of reality that has always been part of our life. To this end, I will analyze the ontology of virtual reality by using the example of banknotes and referring to Lynne Baker’s “constitution view”. Finally, I shall attempt to define the term “virtual reality” from a philosophical point of view by distinguishing it from the concepts of simulation and illusion.