Can we ever truly see the world through someone else’s eyes?
That question sits at the heart of research from Dr Yuri Cath, whose work explores the nature of what philosophers call ‘what it is like’ knowledge.
“My research explores the nature of 'what it is like' knowledge, which is the distinctive kind of knowledge that comes from lived experience,” he explains. “That could be knowing what it is like to be a parent, eat durian, fall in love, live with a disability, smell a rose, or go to war.”
This kind of knowledge, he says, is fundamental to empathy and understanding between people who have had very different lived experiences.
“More broadly, my research can help us to form a more useful and comprehensive map of both what can go right, and what can go wrong, when we try to understand the inner lives of other people.”
To further explore these philosophical questions, and their intersection with technology, Dr Cath is leading the newly funded ARC Discovery Project, ‘Virtual Reality (VR) and Knowing What It Is Like’. Working with a team of researchers, he will examine the philosophical and ethical questions raised by the growing use of VR as a tool for empathy.
“VR simulations that aim to induce empathy have been developed by a wide range of organisations, including the United Nations, charities, museums and news organisations, and in the training of nurses and aged care workers.”
“Part of this project will apply ideas from my work on how 'what it is like' knowledge can come in different degrees to debates in psychology and philosophy about whether VR has the potential to be an ‘empathy machine’ that can help us to better understand other people.”
Ultimately, the research project aims to provide guidance on the ethical development of VR simulations, as well as practical advice on how they can be designed to more accurately and responsibly represent human experience.
