Immersive Philosophical Thought Experiments Through Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) is transforming higher education by providing immersive and interactive learning environments that enhance traditional pedagogical methods. While disciplines such as medicine and engineering have been early adopters of VR for skill development and simulation training, its potential in the humanities, particularly Philosophy, is only beginning to be explored. Philosophy courses often challenge students to grapple with abstract concepts and complex ethical dilemmas which can feel disconnected from real-world applications. VR offers a unique opportunity to bridge this gap by allowing students to experience these scenarios in lifelike, immersive settings. This study examines the use of VR in university courses by teaching the classic Trolley Problem taught across Philosophy departments, especially as part of introductory courses to the field. The experiment used an A/B test approach to get feedback on the participants’ experience and their attitudes towards VR and traditional classroom approaches to teaching the Trolley Problem thought experiment, represented in this experiment as a video lecture. While the experiment uncovered a range of interesting information, key results indicate evidence the VR experience was perceived as different or more impactful when deciding what decision to make in the thought experiment, strong support for the VR experience as a learning tool, preference for the virtual reality experience over a video presentation of the same material, and a wish for inclusion of VR content in courses regardless of previous experience with VR or videogaming. The paper also discusses additional connections in the data, methodological limitations, and opportunities for future research.