Once the domain of online gamers, virtual reality is gaining traction across a number of industries as its application expands. As the technology refines and becomes more widespread, VR has the potential to change how we relate to each other. That’s the focus of a new book by Peter Rubin titled  Future Presence: How Virtual Reality Is Changing Human Connection, Intimacy and the Limits of Ordinary Life . Rubin, an editor at Wired who oversees the magazine’s digital platforms and culture coverage, joined the Knowledge at Wharton show, which airs on SiriusXM channel 111, to talk about the book. An edited transcript of the conversation follows. Knowledge at Wharton: Do enough people understand the role that virtual reality is playing now and in the future? Peter Rubin: A lot of hay has been made of its business and enterprise applications. The conversation around VR on the cultural side has always been about its unique ability to create empathy in people by experiencing someone else’s life.…