The Virtual Self

Paper Summary:

The paper examines "Remediation" by David Bolter and Richard Grusin, which looks at the changing relationships between people and the media. The paper concentrates on the chapter "The Virtual Self", which deals with the way human identities are transformed by their interactions with virtual technologies. The paper discusses Cartesian philosophy and shows how the concept of the virtual self totally disproves the Cartesian beliefs. The paper provides examples of virtual selves in contemporary media.

From the Paper:

"A major section of this chapter(pages 248-254) deals with the ways in which the mind and the body interact with virtual environments. These arguments look at Cartesian and anti-Cartesian elements of the virtual self.
"In order to understand these arguments it is first necessary to have an understanding of Cartesian philosophy. Basically Cartesian philosophy is based on the work of Rene Descartes. Descartes basically sees the mind and body as separate entities."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Anonymous, Land of the Dead Road to Fiddler's Green, Atari, 2005.
• Bolter, David and Grusin, Richard, "The Virtual Self" Chapter 16 in Remediation, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1999: 242-254.
• Ratner, Brent, X-Men 3 The Last Stand, 20th Century Fox, U.S.A. 2006.

More papers on The Virtual Self:

• Analytical Essay # 131117 : "Virtual Self and 'Remediation'"
• Essay # 84437 : "The Problematic of the Self "
• Essay # 48925 : "The Autobiography of Malcolm X"

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