The Good Life+: Well-Being in Virtual Worlds

Citation

Speer, Edward (2025) The Good Life+: Well-Being in Virtual Worlds. Other, California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/d62w-gn55. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechThesis:06302025-172754389

Abstract

Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technologies are rapidly becoming more sophisticated, increasingly offering users the experience of simulated presence. As these technologies advance, they raise important questions about the nature of well-being in virtual worlds. Classical accounts emphasize the importance of authenticity for well-being, and deny that virtual worlds can provide authentic experiences. This paper combines insights from the philosophy and psychology of well-being to argue that virtual worlds can provide authentic experiences, and analyzes the quality of experiences in virtual worlds over several dimensions relevant to well-being to show that one can live The Good Life+: The Good Life in a virtual world.

Thesis Files