| This thesis investigates two areas: the ontology of virtual reality and the intersection between the work of Marshall McLuhan and phenomenology as a heuristic method of investigating the problem.;In my discussion of the body I note that both McLuhan and the phenomenologists regard it as the starting point from which all understanding of the world originates thus privileging the role of the senses and perception. Specific complementary areas I consider include the extension - disembodiment dynamic and the amputation - disappearance relationship. The second point of intersection examines two perspectives on how we manipulate the environment and how it, in turn, manipulates us, focusing specifically on various "levels" of reality and how we move through them. The third point of conversion considers how the "language" of a technology structures perception, returning to the implications of McLuhan's phrase, "the medium is the message". I end by presenting McLuhan's Tetrad as a significant area of convergence with the process of phenomenological reduction and apply the model to an analysis of virtual reality. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).;My consideration of McLuhan and phenomenology yields four broad areas of intersection, each containing further intercises within. These categories are (1) The Body; (2) The Environment; (3) Language; and (4) McLuhan's Tetrad. |
