On episode 5 of the 88 Names podcast, we talk to philosopher and ethicist Michael Madary. Madary is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of the Pacific, and the co-author, with Thomas Metzinger, of “Real Virtuality: A Code of Ethical Conduct. Recommendations for Good Scientific Practice and the Consumers of VR-Technology.” The question of good behavior in cyberspace—what the rules should be, and how to get people to follow them—is one of the main themes in 88 Names, so this was a fascinating conversation for me, all the more so because Madary, as an academic, comes at it from a completely different angle than I do as a novelist.
On our next episode, we talk to Joanna Popper, Hewlett-Packard’s Global Head of Virtual Reality for Location-Based Entertainment.