Defining the essence of virtual reality

The contemporary era is characterised by a reality that was not anticipated even in the latter half of the 20th century. This reality is characterised primarily by the advent of a phenomenon designated as "virtual reality." This phenomenon has been the subject of extensive research by numerous authors over the past twenty-five years. Meanwhile, there is considerable divergence of opinion regarding this concept. The article presents a critical analysis of the prevailing interpretations of the essence of the phenomenon of virtual reality and puts forward a novel understanding of the concept. The extant interpretations of this phenomenon across disparate sources can be distilled into four variants: 1) The concept of virtual reality is considered to extend to the whole world; 2) Virtual reality is regarded as a purely natural phenomenon; 3) Virtual reality is seen as a product of consciousness and (or) subconsciousness; 4) Virtual reality is viewed as an artefact, a product of human activity. The article assumes the latter interpretation, but only in form. This interpretation is subject to a number of variants, the analysis of which revealed the varying degrees of insufficiency of each. The article elucidates the essence of virtual reality through the categories of the ideal and the real, form and matter. Additionally, it considers form in two ways: as architectonic and as compositional. Virtual reality is understood as a phenomenon that exists simultaneously in both the ideal and the real, and is actualised when a human subject is connected to it.