Why do we seek Truth with a capital T in XR?

In the span of just a week, two different community leaders in XR posed the same striking question: “If someone punches you in the face, isn’t there an actual truth that must be acknowledged to move forward?” It’s a visceral image, one that cuts straight to the heart of what truth really means in our digital worlds. How do we reconcile subjective experiences with objective reality? And more importantly, how do we navigate the emotions that fuel conflict to transform fear into understanding?

Subjective Truths: The Personal Realities We Carry

Subjective truths are the individual experiences and perspectives each of us holds. In XR, where people from all walks of life converge, these truths are like pieces of a larger mosaic, each adding color and texture to the collective picture.

? My Truth: This is my personal interpretation of events, shaped by my emotions, memories, and life experiences. In XR, my truth influences how I perceive and interact with the virtual environment and its inhabitants.

? Your Truth: This is your perspective, which may differ from mine based on your own experiences and emotions. In XR, recognizing and respecting these differences is key to building a vibrant, inclusive space.

? Our Truth: When we share our individual truths, we start creating a collective reality—a shared understanding that honors and integrates our diverse perspectives.

A practical example can be found in the now closed social VR platform AltspaceVR (RIP), where users from different cultural backgrounds gathered to share stories and worlds. Before it closed, an increasing population from India began joining the application. People in India, especially in cities, are often accustomed to living in crowded conditions where physical proximity is common,. This may make them feel more than comfortable standing extremely close to others in VR. However, in many other cultures, such close virtual proximity can be perceived as invasive. A growing hostility was observed towards Indians in the social VR community. Recognizing this cultural clash, a community leader in AltspaceVR began hosting special onboarding and welcoming sessions for users from India. These sessions aimed to explain the cultural differences and teach etiquette that would help them make friends and avoid being blocked by other users. This proactive approach helped bridge cultural gaps and fostered a more inclusive community.

Objective Truth: The Capital ‘T’ Truth

While subjective truths are deeply personal, objective Truth is the reality that exists beyond our individual interpretations. It’s the constant, universal truth that provides a foundation for understanding and navigating the world—real or virtual.

Consider a scenario in a VR game where a rule violation occurs. The objective truth here might be that a player broke a specific rule, regardless of their subjective experience or intent. Recognizing this objective reality is necessary for fair play and maintaining the integrity of the game.

Objective truths in XR are also guided by shared agreements within communities. For example, a social VR platform may have a code of conduct that serves as a foundation for all interactions, providing an objective framework within which subjective truths can coexist.

The Philosophical Debate: Does Objective Truth Exist?

The concept of objective truth has been a topic of debate among philosophers for centuries. Some argue that there is indeed an objective reality—an unchanging Truth with a capital ‘T’ that exists independently of human perception. According to this view, regardless of our personal experiences or interpretations, there is a foundational truth that we can discover and agree upon.

Others, however, challenge this idea. They argue that what we consider to be “truth” is always filtered through our individual experiences, cultural contexts, and cognitive biases. In this view, truth is inherently subjective, and the idea of a single, objective truth is more of an ideal than a reality. These philosophers suggest that what we perceive as truth is actually a consensus built from multiple subjective truths—a collective agreement rather than an absolute fact.

In XR, this debate takes on new dimensions. The virtual worlds we create are, by nature, constructs of human imagination and design. For instance, in Role Play Game (RPG) spaces, what is considered “real” or “true” varies widely depending on the community or subculture one belongs to. Yet, even within these constructs, we seek truths—whether they be the unspoken rules of engagement in a community or the shared values that bind us together. The challenge lies in recognizing that while objective truths may exist, our access to them is often mediated by our subjective experiences.

A fascinating example of this debate in action comes from a community leader in XR who leads gatherings for people who have a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) versus STEAM (STEM with the inclusion of the Arts). This leader explained that STEM is primarily focused on objectivity and provability, using mathematical intuition and reasoning to measure properties of systems and the universe. STEM encompasses the hard sciences like physics, chemistry, and mathematics, as well as the softer sciences such as biology and psychology, though the latter are more open to interpretation and often deal with correlations rather than mechanical causation.

The community leader highlighted that when you move from the formal sciences toward disciplines that involve human preference, such as the arts, the nature of truth changes. Artists, musicians, and performers engage with the world through reception—creating and projecting structures onto the universe based on their own satisfaction, rather than measuring and manipulating these structures to understand them as a scientist would.

This discontinuity between art and science often leads to conversational breakdowns. A physicist might state “what is,” focusing on empirical facts, while an artist asks why those facts can’t be used creatively—for instance, using an atomic force microscope to draw a smiley face with carbon atoms. At conferences where live entertainment is provided, it is not uncommon to see scientists walking out or ignoring the performances because they see them as frivolous compared to the serious nature of their work. However, meeting in VR, everything around them is art, and yet they cannot include the A in their STEM name.

This philosophical divide also has significant implications for the diversity, inclusivity, and overall atmosphere of this community leader’s group. The group is largely frequented by male engineers and physicists and has struggled to retain members from other STEM professions, let alone attract individuals from the arts. This lack of diversity has sometimes led to a toxic environment where those who don’t align with the group’s predominant focus on hard sciences leave, possibly because they feel marginalized or unwelcome. The result is a community that, while strong in its particular niche, lacks the broader perspectives that could enrich discussions and foster a more inclusive and supportive environment.

This example underscores the complexity of balancing subjective and objective truths within XR and beyond. While the arts and sciences both offer valuable perspectives, they approach truth from different angles, often leading to misunderstandings or a lack of appreciation for the other’s methods and outcomes. Addressing these issues is crucial not only for the health of specific groups but also for the broader goal of creating inclusive and diverse communities in XR.

Empathy: The Path to Collective Truth

Finding a collective truth that resonates with everyone in XR begins with empathy. Empathy is the bridge that allows us to connect with others’ subjective truths, even when they differ from our own. It’s about stepping into someone else’s shoes, seeing the world through their eyes, and understanding the emotions and experiences that shape their truth.

Empathy-building in XR is crucial because it helps us navigate the diverse perspectives that these digital spaces bring together. Research on social VR platforms has shown that users who engage in empathy-driven interactions are more likely to report positive experiences and less likely to encounter conflicts.

Through empathy, we:

? Acknowledge Individual Truths: By listening to and validating others’ experiences, we create a space where everyone feels seen, respected, and valued. This is especially important in XR, where users may feel vulnerable expressing themselves in new and unfamiliar environments.

? Foster Understanding: Empathy helps us move beyond our own perspectives and appreciate the broader picture. It’s not about agreeing with everyone but about understanding why they see things the way they do.

? Create a Shared Reality: By combining empathy with open dialogue, we can weave together our subjective truths into a collective understanding. This shared reality doesn’t erase individual perspectives but integrates them into a more holistic view that everyone can resonate with.

Navigating Conflict: Embracing Emotions and Transforming Fear

Conflict in XR, as in life, is often fueled by emotions—fear, anger, frustration, or even a sense of injustice. But what if we approached conflict not as something to be avoided, but as an opportunity to embrace and understand the emotions behind our actions?

For example, I recently experienced a situation where a community leader in XR literally jumped up and mimicked punching me in the face during a discussion. It was a jarring moment, but one rooted in a deeper emotional context. This leader was frustrated because I was the only person in XR who had not accepted his friend invite. The reason? His username was a play on words that implied large male genitals, something I was uncomfortable with. I told him that when he changed his username, I would accept his friend request. This boundary still remains, and despite this tension, he continues to attend some of the events I lead.

Yet, there’s more to the story. This type of behavior is generally more accepted within the social app we were using, especially among friends. The context here is important: many of the users in this app are gamers who regularly play extremely violent games in between their social time. What might seem shocking or inappropriate in another setting can be interpreted as normal or even playful within this particular community.

It’s essential to understand the broader social dynamics at play. In many gaming communities, aggressive or playful banter is a norm, a part of the culture that participants are accustomed to. However, this does not negate the need for boundaries and respect for differing comfort levels. By addressing the behavior directly yet empathetically, I was able to set a boundary while also acknowledging the cultural context in which the action occurred.

The Balance Between Subjective and Objective Truths in XR

The power of XR lies in its ability to blend subjective and objective truths into immersive, transformative experiences. As we build and interact in these spaces, it’s important to recognize that while subjective truths enrich our experiences, they must be balanced with objective Truth to create environments that are both inclusive and grounded.

? Subjective Truths: Celebrate the diversity of experiences by allowing individual truths to shape the world. Encourage users to express their stories, creating a dynamic and vibrant environment.

? Objective Truth: Maintain a foundation of shared values, principles, or facts that guide interactions and decisions. For example, clear community guidelines in social VR spaces can help ensure that subjective experiences do not lead to misunderstandings or conflicts, while still honoring individual perspectives.

A compelling example of balancing these truths in XR comes from research on virtual reality-based conflict resolution . The study examined the impact of immersive 360° video in changing viewpoints and moral judgment during violent intergroup conflict. The research found that an immersive experience could significantly alter perceptions, leading participants to judge actions as less justified when viewed from the perspective of the outgroup. This change was not just due to increased empathy but also to a heightened sense of presence and engagement in the immersive experience. This demonstrates how XR can be used to provide direct encounters with objective realities—such as the experiences of others—while also respecting the subjective truths that individuals bring into these virtual spaces.

Incorporating creative expression tools (e.g., pens, photo galleries, etc) in XR environments encourages that subjective truths are respected while providing a common ground for resolving disputes, thus enhancing the inclusivity and harmony within these spaces.

Conclusion: Truth as a Collective Journey

To answer the question in the title "Why do we seek truth with a capital T in XR?," for me ??, I believe we seek the Truth because we are trying to bridge between the subjective empathy of our virtual reality immersion experiences with a more collective truth of our physical reality society. In other words, XR elicits all kinds of strong feelings, but its what we do with those feelings that matters most. Seeking Truth with a capital T sometimes may be because I'm literally immersing myself in other individual people's imaginations (or subjective truths) and possibly getting a bit over saturated with these more narrow/blurry perspectives. For example, in gaming and social VR, any given multiplayer space is often called a "world", and although it can feel like a collective truth being represented, it is in actuality only one or a few people's combined perspectives.

In XR, truth is not a static destination but an ongoing journey. It’s about navigating the complexities of subjective experiences while grounding ourselves in objective realities. I recommend seeing Truth as an ideal to practice rather than a belief that it can ever be fully discovered. Finding our truths is a journey to learn better Truth together. By practicing empathy and understanding, we can transform fear into connection, anger into dialogue, and conflict into growth.

Whether we’re dealing with the extremes of a community leader’s actions or the everyday interactions that shape our virtual lives, finding a collective truth requires us to balance intention with impact and subjective experiences with objective reality. In this liminal practice, we create spaces where everyone can feel truly seen, understood, and connected—both to each other and to the larger truth that binds us all.

Why or when do you seek truth or Truth in XR?