There is something uniquely human about physical interpersonal interaction, and something distinctly not-authentically-human about strictly virtual relationships. Or so is my opinion. It is also my opinion that the Church would agree, which is why She does not allow confession over the phone or a televised mass to satisfy your Sunday obligation.

In any case, this long-held (and largely unsubstantiated in a folksy kind of way) view of mine made me very interested in a submission by Reader Leo. Leo is a fan of the Institute for the Psychological Sciences' lecture series, and he'd like to share them with the rest of us. These are Catholics who actually *know* what they're talking about and they're discussing our relationships with new technology. Check it thou out!

Lecture # 1

Hiding Behind the Screen: The Philosophy of Virtual Reality
Roger Scruton, Ph.D.
October 31, 2008

Get the rest here.