What actually is augmented reality

Abstract

The answer to the question proposed in the title is complicated because what is meant by reality depends on prior philosophical conceptions. So, to respond rigorously, I should clarify the notion of reality by resorting to the history of philosophy. I shall offer two responses following two distinct philosophical stands. The first is the empiricism of Locke and Newton which I will take into account since although it emerges in the 17th century it somehow extends up to this day and is at the basis of what we mean by reality even today. The other position is the pragmatism of Dewey and Rorty, which openly criticizes the philosophical assumptions of classical empiricism and offers an alternative discourse upon which a new notion of reality is construed. What is real about augmented reality? Nothing, according to empiricism; it is mere appearance. And according to pragmatism the reality we grant it will depend on the problems it allows us to solve. In this paper I will explain both positions.