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Robert Nozick - The Experience Machine

Robert Nozick argues against hedonism in his thought experiment about an "experience machine." He proposes a machine that can simulate any pleasurable experiences without our having to do anything in the real world. Nozick asks if we would choose to plug into this machine forever or live in reality. While the machine could provide more pleasure, Nozick believes people have reasons not to plug in, such as wanting to actually do things rather than just experience them, wanting to be a certain type of person, and wanting contact with deeper realities beyond what a machine can simulate. Therefore, experiencing pleasure cannot be the only thing that matters to people.

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1K views1 page

Robert Nozick - The Experience Machine

Robert Nozick argues against hedonism in his thought experiment about an "experience machine." He proposes a machine that can simulate any pleasurable experiences without our having to do anything in the real world. Nozick asks if we would choose to plug into this machine forever or live in reality. While the machine could provide more pleasure, Nozick believes people have reasons not to plug in, such as wanting to actually do things rather than just experience them, wanting to be a certain type of person, and wanting contact with deeper realities beyond what a machine can simulate. Therefore, experiencing pleasure cannot be the only thing that matters to people.

Uploaded by

neilbritto
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Robert Nozick The Experience Machine An attack against ethical hedonism - Hedonism: a school of thought that pleasure is the

e only intrinsic good. Hedonists exhibit behaviour to maximize net pleasure. The methodology of Nozicks argument - Uses a thought experiment, that allows for a choice between simulated and actual reality. - Nozick aims to show that there are things other than pleasure, that have value. If something other than pleasure has value, and thereby increases our wellbeing, hedonism is weakened as a rational stance on morality. - The argument: P1. Experiencing as much pleasure as possible is what matters to people. P2. If we will experience more pleasure by doing x than by doing y, then we have reason to do x. P3. We will experience more pleasure if we plug into the experience machine than if we do not plug into the experience machine. P4. There exists a reason to plug into the experience machine. C1. If all that matters is pleasure, then there is reason to plug into the experience machine. P5. There is reason not to plug into the experience machine. C2. Experiencing as much pleasure as possible is not all that matters to human beings. The Thought Experiment - Nozick asks us to imagine a machine that could give us whatever desirable or pleasurable experiences we could want. "Superduper neuropsychologists" have figured out a way to stimulate a person's brain to induce pleasurable experiences that the subject could not distinguish from those she'd have apart from the machine. He then asks, if given the choice, would we prefer the machine to real life? - Nozick also believes that if pleasure were the only intrinsic value, people would have an overriding reason to be hooked up to an "experience machine," which would produce favorable sensations. Limitations - Who would run the machines if everyone plugs in? Nozick asks us to ignore this concern, since it does not adversely affect the thought experiment. One could simply stipulate that the machines have been so well designed as to be fail-proof. Reasons For Not Plugging Into The Machine 1. We want to do certain things, and not just have the experience of doing them: "It is only because we first want to do the actions that we want the experiences of doing them." (Nozick, 43) 2. We want to be a certain sort of person: "Someone floating in a tank is an indeterminate blob." (Nozick, 43) 3. Plugging into an experience machine limits us to a man-made reality (it limits us to what we can make): "There is no actual contact with any deeper reality, though the experience of it can be simulated." (Nozick, 43)

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