Get Your Paws off of My Pixels: Personal Identity and Avatars as Self

There is an astounding silence in the peer-reviewed literature regarding what rights a person ought to expect to retain when being represented by an avatar rather than a biological body. Before one can have meaningful ethical discussions about informed consent in virtual worlds, avatar bodily integr...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Graber, Mark Alan, Graber, Abraham David
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: JMIR Publications 2010-07-01
Series:Journal of Medical Internet Research
Online Access:http://www.jmir.org/2010/3/e28/
_version_ 1818778363870838784
author Graber, Mark Alan
Graber, Abraham David
author_facet Graber, Mark Alan
Graber, Abraham David
author_sort Graber, Mark Alan
collection DOAJ
description There is an astounding silence in the peer-reviewed literature regarding what rights a person ought to expect to retain when being represented by an avatar rather than a biological body. Before one can have meaningful ethical discussions about informed consent in virtual worlds, avatar bodily integrity, and so on, the status of avatars vis-à-vis the self must first be decided. We argue that as another manifestation of the individual, an individual’s avatar should have rights analogous to those of a biological body. Our strategy will be to show that (1) possessing a physical body is not a necessary condition for possessing rights; (2) rights are already extended to representations of a person to which no biological consciousness is attached; and (3) when imbued with intentionality, some prostheses become “self.” We will then argue that avatars meet all of the conditions necessary to be protected by rights similar to those enjoyed by a biological body. The structure of our argument will take the form of a conditional. We will argue that if a user considers an avatar an extension of the self, then the avatar has rights analogous to the rights of the user. Finally, we will discuss and resolve some of the objections to our position including conflicts that may arise when more than one individual considers an avatar to be part of the self.
first_indexed 2024-12-18T11:43:32Z
format Article
id doaj.art-022f0e4ca08c45e98ed24070bbf222e6
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1438-8871
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-18T11:43:32Z
publishDate 2010-07-01
publisher JMIR Publications
record_format Article
series Journal of Medical Internet Research
spelling doaj.art-022f0e4ca08c45e98ed24070bbf222e62022-12-21T21:09:21ZengJMIR PublicationsJournal of Medical Internet Research1438-88712010-07-01123e2810.2196/jmir.1299Get Your Paws off of My Pixels: Personal Identity and Avatars as SelfGraber, Mark AlanGraber, Abraham DavidThere is an astounding silence in the peer-reviewed literature regarding what rights a person ought to expect to retain when being represented by an avatar rather than a biological body. Before one can have meaningful ethical discussions about informed consent in virtual worlds, avatar bodily integrity, and so on, the status of avatars vis-à-vis the self must first be decided. We argue that as another manifestation of the individual, an individual’s avatar should have rights analogous to those of a biological body. Our strategy will be to show that (1) possessing a physical body is not a necessary condition for possessing rights; (2) rights are already extended to representations of a person to which no biological consciousness is attached; and (3) when imbued with intentionality, some prostheses become “self.” We will then argue that avatars meet all of the conditions necessary to be protected by rights similar to those enjoyed by a biological body. The structure of our argument will take the form of a conditional. We will argue that if a user considers an avatar an extension of the self, then the avatar has rights analogous to the rights of the user. Finally, we will discuss and resolve some of the objections to our position including conflicts that may arise when more than one individual considers an avatar to be part of the self.http://www.jmir.org/2010/3/e28/
spellingShingle Graber, Mark Alan
Graber, Abraham David
Get Your Paws off of My Pixels: Personal Identity and Avatars as Self
Journal of Medical Internet Research
title Get Your Paws off of My Pixels: Personal Identity and Avatars as Self
title_full Get Your Paws off of My Pixels: Personal Identity and Avatars as Self
title_fullStr Get Your Paws off of My Pixels: Personal Identity and Avatars as Self
title_full_unstemmed Get Your Paws off of My Pixels: Personal Identity and Avatars as Self
title_short Get Your Paws off of My Pixels: Personal Identity and Avatars as Self
title_sort get your paws off of my pixels personal identity and avatars as self
url http://www.jmir.org/2010/3/e28/
work_keys_str_mv AT grabermarkalan getyourpawsoffofmypixelspersonalidentityandavatarsasself
AT graberabrahamdavid getyourpawsoffofmypixelspersonalidentityandavatarsasself