Would you plug into a machine that gives you a perfectly happy life?
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What this question is about
In 1974 the philosopher Robert Nozick imagined a machine that could give you any experiences you wanted for the rest of your life: writing a great novel, falling in love, winning a championship. It would feel completely real, and once inside you wouldn't know you were plugged in.
If only how life feels matters, plugging in looks like the obvious choice. Most people say they wouldn't, and Nozick took that as proof that we care about more than our experiences: actually doing things, actually being someone, being in touch with reality. Critics answer that our reluctance is a bias, not an insight. The question has gotten less hypothetical with VR, social media feeds and AI companions.
Positions
2 positions, in no order of merit. Open one for its full case.
What makes a life go well is how it is experienced, so a machine that guarantees great experiences gives you the best life available.
2 reasons2 sources2 objections from other positions
Our refusal to plug in is mostly status quo bias: people told they are already in the machine often refuse to leave it.
Strongest objection (Overstated), for Stay out: a good life has to be real: Fear of the unknown might explain some answers, but it can't explain why nearly 4 in 5 philosophers, who know the bias well, still refuse.
A good life includes actually doing things, real relationships and contact with reality, which no simulation can provide however good it feels.
3 reasons2 sources2 objections from other positions
We don't just want to feel like we did something; we want to actually do it.
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Open questions
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- Add a source
Source requested · Stay out: a good life has to be real
Endless streams of tailored content, VR and AI companions already offer a weaker version of the machine, and people who spend their lives in them don't look like they're flourishing.
- Add a source
No source yet · Plug in: a life that feels perfect is perfect
Everything you value, from love to achievement, matters to you through how it feels.
- Add a source
No source yet · Stay out: a good life has to be real
Plugging in means abandoning everyone who depends on you.
- Object
Nobody has objected yet · Stay out: a good life has to be real
We don't just want to feel like we did something; we want to actually do it.
Is a position missing?
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- Wikipedia: Experience machineen.wikipedia.org
- PhilPapers Survey 2020: results for all respondentssurvey2020.philpeople.org
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