Propose a topic

Konstantin Mühlberg · Oct 24, 2026

Stay out: a good life has to be real

3 reasons2 sources

What this position proposes

A good life includes actually doing things, real relationships and contact with reality, which no simulation can provide however good it feels.

Reasons

1.
We don't just want to feel like we did something; we want to actually do it.
Someone in the machine hasn't written a novel or helped anyone, however it seems to them.^[1]
1. Source 1: Wikipedia: Experience machine · en.wikipedia.orgOpen original
- Supports
  Philosophers overwhelmingly agree they wouldn't plug in.^[1]
  1. Source 1: PhilPapers Survey 2020: results for all respondents · survey2020.philpeople.orgOpen original
2.
Plugging in means abandoning everyone who depends on you.
Even if your experiences were perfect, the real people you leave behind would be worse off.
Unsourced
Objections
- Plug in: a life that feels perfect is perfect · Leaves something out · Unsourced
  That's a point about other people, not about whether the life inside is good for you. Imagine everyone you care about plugs in too.
3.
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.
UnsourcedSource requested by 1 reader
Objections
- Plug in: a life that feels perfect is perfect · Doesn’t follow · Unsourced
  Today's feeds make people anxious and unhappy. That's a reason they are bad machines, not a reason a perfect one would be bad.

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Stay out: a good life has to be real | Reasoned