ACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems (2025) AI Processed Human Approved
The Philosopher’s Corner:The “Immersed Flesh”: A Phenomenological Conceptualization of Immersive Virtual Reality Embodiment
This study explores how Maurice Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological view on embodiment and ontology of the Flesh can be applied to conceptualize immersive virtual reality (IVR) embodiment within Information Systems research. It proposes the novel concept of 'Immersed Flesh' to capture the rich, sensory experience of virtual immersion beyond simple technical representations. The paper demonstrates the framework's utility through three illustrative use cases and provides theoretical grounding for future IVR research.
Problem
Mainstream Information Systems literature on virtual embodiment largely relies on non-immersive VR contexts and technological deterministic or instrumentalist perspectives. These traditional views reduce the virtual body to an external representation or object, failing to address the lived, sensory, and existential dimensions of modern IVR experiences. Consequently, there is a lack of a non-dualistic theoretical foundation for understanding how users sense and make meaning of embodiment in immersive environments.
Outcome
- Conceptualizes IVR embodiment through the new concept of 'Immersed Flesh', defined as a dynamic matrix that merges physical and virtual worlds into a co-extensive reality.
- Adapts Merleau-Ponty's ontology of the Flesh into key structural elements for IS, including Actual Grip, Apparent Grip, Circuit, Chiasma, Interworld, Measuring Body, and Reversibility.
- Illustrates the practical and theoretical value of the framework through three distinct IVR scenarios: expressing the living body (e.g., IVR dancing), intersubjective perspective-taking (e.g., embodying a tree), and experiencing the objective body of passing entities (e.g., avatars of deceased relatives).
- Generates research questions for future IS inquiry into user self-agency, bodily empathy, and ethical considerations surrounding virtual presence.
- Adapts Merleau-Ponty's ontology of the Flesh into key structural elements for IS, including Actual Grip, Apparent Grip, Circuit, Chiasma, Interworld, Measuring Body, and Reversibility.
- Illustrates the practical and theoretical value of the framework through three distinct IVR scenarios: expressing the living body (e.g., IVR dancing), intersubjective perspective-taking (e.g., embodying a tree), and experiencing the objective body of passing entities (e.g., avatars of deceased relatives).
- Generates research questions for future IS inquiry into user self-agency, bodily empathy, and ethical considerations surrounding virtual presence.
What it means for you
- CIO / IT Executive: On Monday morning, schedule a 30-minute briefing for your senior IT team to introduce the concept of 'Immersed Flesh' as a potential lens for evaluating our next-generation immersive technology investments, specifically focusing on how it moves beyond purely functional metrics to consider user experience and embodiment.
- IT Manager: On Monday morning, gather your team responsible for VR development or deployment and ask them to review our current IVR platforms and identify one specific feature or interaction where users might be experiencing something akin to 'Actual Grip' or 'Apparent Grip' as described in the 'Immersed Flesh' concept.
- Business Strategist: On Monday morning, dedicate one hour to brainstorm three hypothetical business use cases where fostering 'bodily empathy' or enhancing 'user self-agency' through IVR, inspired by the 'Immersed Flesh' framework, could provide a competitive advantage or solve a current business challenge.
- Researcher: On Monday morning, draft a preliminary research proposal outline that incorporates at least two of the structural elements from the 'Immersed Flesh' framework (e.g., Chiasma, Interworld) to investigate user embodiment in a specific IVR application relevant to our field.
- Policymaker: On Monday morning, request a brief (1-page) summary of the 'Immersed Flesh' concept from your policy research unit, specifically asking them to highlight any potential ethical implications or policy considerations related to virtual presence and user embodiment in immersive technologies.
Transcript
Host: Welcome to A.I.S. Insights — powered by Living Knowledge. I'm your host, Anna Ivy Summers. Today, we're diving into a fascinating new study titled "The Philosopher’s Corner: The “Immersed Flesh”: A Phenomenological Conceptualization of Immersive Virtual Reality Embodiment." Joining me is our technology analyst, Alex Ian Sutherland. Welcome, Alex!
Expert: Thanks, Anna. Great to be here.
Host: So, Alex, virtual reality has been talked about for years, especially with all the buzz around the metaverse. But this study argues that how we currently think about being embodied in VR is pretty outdated. What is the core problem it highlights?
Expert: You nailed it, Anna. Traditionally, information systems research looked at virtual reality through desktop screens or simple 3D avatars. That led to viewing a virtual body either as an object controlled by code—what philosophers call technological determinism—or just a neutral tool, like an advanced joystick, which is the instrumentalist view. Both views create a sharp divide between our physical bodies and virtual representations. But modern immersive VR with head-mounted displays doesn't feel like operating a tool from the outside. You actually feel like you're there. Current theoretical frameworks simply fail to capture that lived, sensory experience.
Host: Right, so treating a virtual body like an external tool or graphical object misses the actual feeling of immersion. How does the study approach fixing this gap?
Expert: The study turns to French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty and his phenomenology—specifically his late ontology of "the Flesh." Instead of seeing the human mind, physical body, and technology as separate things, Merleau-Ponty argued that our lived experience is an intertwined, continuous matrix. The author adapts this philosophy to propose a fresh concept for information systems: the "Immersed Flesh."
Host: "Immersed Flesh"—that sounds almost biological! What does that actually mean in the context of virtual reality?
Expert: It defines embodiment in immersive VR as a dynamic matrix where the physical and virtual worlds merge into a single, co-extensive reality. Rather than just staring at an avatar on a screen, your sensory field extends directly into the virtual environment.
Host: Interesting. Can you break down some of the key findings or structural elements of this framework?
Expert: Absolutely. The study adapts several key elements from Merleau-Ponty's work. For instance, it contrasts "Actual Grip" with "Apparent Grip"—how our body interacts with physical hardware like headsets and controllers, versus how it gets gripped by the virtual world's spatial feedback. It introduces the idea of the body becoming a "Measuring Body"—a zero-point of orientation from which the virtual space makes sense to us. And then there's "Reversibility," where you experience the virtual body both from the inside—as your own lived agency—and from the outside—as a visible entity in a shared social world.
Host: That makes a lot of intuitive sense. The study also uses three distinct use cases to illustrate how this framework works in practice, right?
Expert: Exactly. First, there's embodying the "living body" through activities like virtual dancing, martial arts, or sports. Here, VR isn't just mirroring physical movement; the virtual environment becomes an active stage for real emotional and bodily self-expression. Second, it looks at intersubjective perspective-taking—like using VR to embody non-human entities, such as a tree. Experiencing an environment as a tree builds a deep, embodied sense of spatial empathy and relatedness to nature that simple visuals cannot match.
Host: Wow, embodying a tree to build empathy—that's profound. What was the third scenario?
Expert: The third case is even more provocative: embodying the "objective body" of passing entities—essentially, interactive virtual avatars of deceased loved ones. It touches on concepts like "techno-immortality" and digital grief support, raising major philosophical, temporal, and ethical questions about how memory and presence exist in virtual spaces.
Host: That really highlights the depth of where immersive technology is heading. So, Alex, why does this matter for business leaders, software developers, and enterprise strategists?
Expert: It is a game-changer for how organizations design and invest in VR experiences, Anna. If businesses want to build successful metaverse platforms, immersive training simulations, or remote collaboration tools, they cannot treat VR as just 3D video conferencing with digital puppets. Understanding the "Immersed Flesh" means designing for deep sensory alignment, bodily agency, and spatial presence. For corporate training—like medical procedures or high-risk industrial safety—it shifts the focus from simple task repetition to intuitive skill absorption. And for customer engagement and social platforms, it opens up entirely new avenues for building authentic emotional connection and empathy.
Host: It sounds like moving from designing static interfaces to designing living experiences.
Expert: Precisely. It challenges designers to think about ethics, psychological ownership, and how technology alters our fundamental sense of self and presence.
Host: Such a thought-provoking perspective on where virtual reality is taking us. Alex, thank you so much for breaking down this study for us today.
Expert: My pleasure, Anna.
Host: And thank you to our listeners for tuning into A.I.S. Insights — powered by Living Knowledge. Join us next time as we continue exploring the frontiers of technology, business, and human experience.
Expert: Thanks, Anna. Great to be here.
Host: So, Alex, virtual reality has been talked about for years, especially with all the buzz around the metaverse. But this study argues that how we currently think about being embodied in VR is pretty outdated. What is the core problem it highlights?
Expert: You nailed it, Anna. Traditionally, information systems research looked at virtual reality through desktop screens or simple 3D avatars. That led to viewing a virtual body either as an object controlled by code—what philosophers call technological determinism—or just a neutral tool, like an advanced joystick, which is the instrumentalist view. Both views create a sharp divide between our physical bodies and virtual representations. But modern immersive VR with head-mounted displays doesn't feel like operating a tool from the outside. You actually feel like you're there. Current theoretical frameworks simply fail to capture that lived, sensory experience.
Host: Right, so treating a virtual body like an external tool or graphical object misses the actual feeling of immersion. How does the study approach fixing this gap?
Expert: The study turns to French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty and his phenomenology—specifically his late ontology of "the Flesh." Instead of seeing the human mind, physical body, and technology as separate things, Merleau-Ponty argued that our lived experience is an intertwined, continuous matrix. The author adapts this philosophy to propose a fresh concept for information systems: the "Immersed Flesh."
Host: "Immersed Flesh"—that sounds almost biological! What does that actually mean in the context of virtual reality?
Expert: It defines embodiment in immersive VR as a dynamic matrix where the physical and virtual worlds merge into a single, co-extensive reality. Rather than just staring at an avatar on a screen, your sensory field extends directly into the virtual environment.
Host: Interesting. Can you break down some of the key findings or structural elements of this framework?
Expert: Absolutely. The study adapts several key elements from Merleau-Ponty's work. For instance, it contrasts "Actual Grip" with "Apparent Grip"—how our body interacts with physical hardware like headsets and controllers, versus how it gets gripped by the virtual world's spatial feedback. It introduces the idea of the body becoming a "Measuring Body"—a zero-point of orientation from which the virtual space makes sense to us. And then there's "Reversibility," where you experience the virtual body both from the inside—as your own lived agency—and from the outside—as a visible entity in a shared social world.
Host: That makes a lot of intuitive sense. The study also uses three distinct use cases to illustrate how this framework works in practice, right?
Expert: Exactly. First, there's embodying the "living body" through activities like virtual dancing, martial arts, or sports. Here, VR isn't just mirroring physical movement; the virtual environment becomes an active stage for real emotional and bodily self-expression. Second, it looks at intersubjective perspective-taking—like using VR to embody non-human entities, such as a tree. Experiencing an environment as a tree builds a deep, embodied sense of spatial empathy and relatedness to nature that simple visuals cannot match.
Host: Wow, embodying a tree to build empathy—that's profound. What was the third scenario?
Expert: The third case is even more provocative: embodying the "objective body" of passing entities—essentially, interactive virtual avatars of deceased loved ones. It touches on concepts like "techno-immortality" and digital grief support, raising major philosophical, temporal, and ethical questions about how memory and presence exist in virtual spaces.
Host: That really highlights the depth of where immersive technology is heading. So, Alex, why does this matter for business leaders, software developers, and enterprise strategists?
Expert: It is a game-changer for how organizations design and invest in VR experiences, Anna. If businesses want to build successful metaverse platforms, immersive training simulations, or remote collaboration tools, they cannot treat VR as just 3D video conferencing with digital puppets. Understanding the "Immersed Flesh" means designing for deep sensory alignment, bodily agency, and spatial presence. For corporate training—like medical procedures or high-risk industrial safety—it shifts the focus from simple task repetition to intuitive skill absorption. And for customer engagement and social platforms, it opens up entirely new avenues for building authentic emotional connection and empathy.
Host: It sounds like moving from designing static interfaces to designing living experiences.
Expert: Precisely. It challenges designers to think about ethics, psychological ownership, and how technology alters our fundamental sense of self and presence.
Host: Such a thought-provoking perspective on where virtual reality is taking us. Alex, thank you so much for breaking down this study for us today.
Expert: My pleasure, Anna.
Host: And thank you to our listeners for tuning into A.I.S. Insights — powered by Living Knowledge. Join us next time as we continue exploring the frontiers of technology, business, and human experience.