Cyberpunk and Cypherpunk: A Philosophical Analysis Comparing Two Views of the Metaverse
Section: Articles
Abstract
As ancestors of the idea of the metaverse - Cyberpunks and Cypherpunks - propose two distinct attitudes towards Cyberspace, and this difference also infuses their attitudes towards the metaverse. These two attitudes will powerfully influence the developmental direction of the metaverse and how it will be recognized and accepted by society. Given that the visual space is an artificial reality created by technology, they not only illustrate two different ideas regarding "realities other than the physical one of human society", but also illustrate two different ideas regarding technology itself. The Cyberpunk view of the metaverse could be seen as techno-pessimistic or Luddism. Cypherpunk's metaverse view, on the other hand, is "technological transformationism", which carries multi-possibilities of living styles of human being, and it almost incompatible with Luddism.
This conference paper compares cyberpunk and cypherpunk perspectives as rival philosophical frameworks for interpreting the metaverse.