Metavethics: Ethical, integrity and social implications of the metaverse

Abstract

This article outlines some of the major ethical and social questions raised by the birth and growth of digital, virtual environments and the metaverse. The metaverse, also known as a virtual digital space, is rapidly taking shape and forecasts from various analysts predict that this technology is going to generate a vast number of disruptive changes that can impact the privacy, safety and social sphere of human beings, giving rise to new ethical challenges and opportunities which need to be addressed. As a pioneering work, this article examines via a semantical approach the etymology and evolution of the term ethics across different domains and also the term metaverse and enquires into how ethical questions, principles and approaches can influence the design and development of a good metaverse. This article emphasises the relevance of the sociological, anthropological and philosophical dimensions of the ethical discipline in relation to digital, virtual environments and the metaverse. Metavethics, a new field of study and domain of expertise, approaches the scientific and the broader, technology-oriented communities with new questions and inspiring opportunities for the creation of digital, virtual environments that are framed within the context of acknowledging positive ethical implications for human beings. This article aims to create a foundation upon which new knowledge can be built and create a conversation around a complex and fundamental concept of the ethics of human behaviour and the metaverse.