Infinite Reality - by Jim Blascovich & Jeremy Bailenson (Paperback)

About the Book

How far off is the science in the film "Avatar"? Two leading authorities in the field of virtual reality examine the possibilities and potential of emerging digital technologies to free our minds and change our understanding of what it means to be human.

Book Synopsis

"Enough with speculation about our digital future. Infinite Reality is the straight dope on what is and isn't happening to us right now, from two of the only scientists working on the boundaries between real life and its virtual extensions."
--Douglas Rushkoff, author of Program or Be Programmed

Can our brains recognize where "reality" ends and "virtual" begins? Where will technology lead us in five, fifty, or five hundred years? An unrivaled guide to our digital future that has been cited by the Supreme Court, Infinite Reality is a mind-bending "journey through the virtual universe" (Wall Street Journal). Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson, two pioneering authorities, explore the profound potential of emerging technologies and reveal how our brains behave in digital worlds.

Along the way, Bailenson and Blascovich examine the timeless philosophical questions of the self and "reality" that arise through the digital experience; explain how virtual reality's latest and future forms--including immersive video games and social-networking sites--will soon be seamlessly integrated into our lives; show the many surprising practical applications of virtual reality, from education and medicine to sex and warfare; and probe further-off possibilities like "total personality downloads" that would allow your great-great-grandchildren to have a conversation with "you" a century or more after your death.

Equally fascinating, farsighted, and profound, Infinite Reality is an essential guide to our virtual future, where the experience of being human will be deeply transformed.

From the Back Cover

Can our brains recognize where "reality" ends and "virtual" begins? Where will technology lead us in five, fifty, or five hundred years? An unrivaled guide to our digital future that has been cited by the Supreme Court, Infinite Reality is a mind-bending "journey through the virtual universe" (Wall Street Journal). Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson, two pioneering authorities, explore the profound potential of emerging technologies and reveal how our brains behave in digital worlds.

Review Quotes

"Have you ever become immersed in virtual reality? It is an overpowering experience, and in Infinite Reality, Jeremy Bailenson and Jim Blascovich capture what it is like in words! Their crystal-clear descriptions send chills down the spine as we come to realize our biological reality is probably virtual as well. We will soon be at one with these technologies, as we will seek from them what we seek from our natural world and kin." - Michael S. Gazzaniga, author of Human: The Science Behind What Makes Your Brain Unique and director of the SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind at the University of California, Santa Barbara
"Enough with speculation about our digital future. Infinite Reality is the straight dope on what is and isn't happening to us right now, from Jeremy Bailenson and Jim Blascovich, two of the only scientists working on the boundaries between real life and its virtual extensions." - Douglas Rushkoff, author of Program or Be Programmed
"Brilliant, farsighted, and fascinating, Infinite Reality is a must-read exploration of the coming human and social transformations driven by digital immersive virtual reality technology. Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson are leading minds in this evolving and breathtaking world and Infinite Reality is an essential guide to our futures." - Philip Zimbardo, bestselling author of The Lucifer Effect and Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Stanford University
"Read this book if you want to understand the future." - JARON LANIER, author of You Are Not a Gadget
"Brilliant, farsighted, and fascinating, Infinite Reality is an essential guide to our futures." - PHILIP ZIMBARDO, professor emeritus of psychology, Stanford University, and author of The Lucifer Effect
"Read this book if you want to understand the future. . . . The authors are bright lights in the emerging discipline of using [Virtual Reality] to understand people." - Jaron Lanier, author of You Are Not a Gadget
"An exhilarating book ... Blascovich and Bailenson are ideally situated to write this guide to the new world ... Infinite Reality is a must-read for anyone who wants to prepare for the coming revolution." - Los Angeles Times
"Infinite Reality sends chills down the spine." - MICHAEL S. GAZZANIGA, director of the SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind at the University of California, Santa Barbara
"Two of virtual reality's most prominent researchers, Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson detail the current research - primarily their own - and pose some fascinating questions, which have surprising and important answers. .... Infinite Reality illustrates ground-breaking research with vivid imagery and inspiring analysis." - New Scientist
"In their book Infinite Reality, pioneers Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson provide compelling evidence that virtual reality is not only the next step of our cultural evolution, but it is also as real and possible as the iPad or Kindle you are reading this on. From the first page, Professors Blascovich and Bailenson prove their worth as brilliant academics and educators and take the reader through a crash course on the past, present, and future of virtual reality. ... the philosophical and ethical issues this book tackles are beyond the scope of almost any discussion you will find elsewhere. ... Infinite Reality represents a clear, insightful, and comprehensive view on a form of technological advancement that has already begun to take shape. Are you ready?" - Cyberpsychology
"A journey through the virtual universe." - Wall Street Journal
"A page-turner that immerses the reader into the world of virtual reality, Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson's Infinite Reality compellingly highlights the fine line between science and science fiction." - Gary Small, M.D., author of iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind and Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA's Geffen School of Medicine
"The word avatar in the subtitle should be enough to get many readers to open the book, but there are many other reasons, too. . . . An imaginative and exciting look at the future that not just could be but, in many cases, already is." - Booklist