The Metaverse and the Body: A Focus on Ted Chiang’s The Lifecycle of Software Objects

Abstract

This study examines the reconfiguration of the body within the metaverse, focusing on Ted Chiang’s The Lifecycle of Software Objects. The metaverse, as a virtual space that transcends physical limitations, expands the concept of the body, presenting digital beings like digients with the potential to evolve into autonomous entities through learning and interaction. However, the metaverse simultaneously reflects capitalist structures, commodifying the bodies of digients to fulfill human desires while restricting their autonomy through systemic power and economic inequalities. The developmental journeys of digients and their transition into physical embodiments illustrate the dual nature of the metaverse: a space that opens possibilities for embodiment and autonomy while reproducing the social and economic constraints of the real world. Within this tension, the ethical dilemmas faced by human caretakers highlight the commodification of bodies and identities in the metaverse, caught between care and control. This study critically analyzes the ethical, social, and philosophical implications of the body within the metaverse, emphasizing the necessity of new ethical frameworks centered on dignity, mutual respect, and autonomy.