Experience Machine:
Imagine if you plug your brain into a machine that will bring you ultimate pleasure for the rest of your life. If you are given the choice to sign up for that kind of existence, would you? That’s the question philosopher Robert Nozick posed through a throat experiment he called the Experience Machine. The experiment asks us to consider a world in which scientists have developed a machine that would simulate real life while guaranteeing experiments of only pleasure and never pain. The catch? You have to permanently leave reality behind, but you will hardly know the difference. Your experiences will be undistinguishable from reality. Life’s natural ups and downs will just be replaced with an endless series of ups. Sounds great, right?
The Scenario:
It may seem like a tempting offer, but perhaps its not as ideal as it sounds. The experiment was actually designed to refute a philosophical notion called hedonism. According to hedonists, maximizing net pleasure is the most important thing in life because pleasure is the greatest good that life has to offer. For hedonists, the best choice that a person could make for himself is one that brings him the greatest possible amount of pleasure while bringing him no pain. Limitless pleasure minus zero pain equals maximum net pleasure or in other words the exact scenario the Experience Machine offers. Therefore if hedonism is your philosophy of choice, plugging in would be a no brainer.
Problem:
But what if there’s more to life than just pleasure? That’s what Nozick believed he was demonstrating. Through his Experience Machine thought experiment. Despite the machine’s promise of maximum net pleasure, he still found reason not to plug in, as do many other experimenters who consider the proposition. But what could possibly dissuade us from choosing a future of ultimate pleasure? Consider this scenario; Betsy and Xander are in a loving, committed relationship. Betsy is head over heels and has never felt happier. However, unbeknownst to Betsy, Xander has been romancing her sister Angelina, with love letters and secret rendezvous for the duration of their relationship. If Betsy found out, it would destroy her relationship with both Xander and Angelina, and the experience would be so traumatic, she would never love again. Since Betsy is in blissful ignorance about Xander’s infidelity, hedonists say she’s better off remaining in the dark and maintaining her high level of net pleasure. As long as Betsy never finds out about the relationship, her life is guaranteed to go on as happily as it is right now.
Decision:
So is there value in Betsy knowing the truth of her situation? Imagine if you were Betsy, would you prefer to know the truth? If the answer is yes, you would be choosing an option that sharply decreases your net pleasure. Perhaps then you believe that there are things in life with greater intrinsic value than pleasure. Truth, knowledge, authentic connection with human beings these are all things that might make the list. By never learning the truth Betsy is essentially living life in her one personal Experience Machine, a world of happiness that’s not based in reality.
Transcripted By Benazir Elahee Munni