Yesterday’s thought experiment was about identity—once all of its parts were replaced, was the Ship of Theseus still the same ship?  Today, we consider value theory and whether happiness or pleasure is really the highest good.

In his book Anarchy, State, and Utopia, philosopher Robert Nozick famously posed the following thought experiment:

A mad scientist invents a machine that would allow you to live in a personalized simulation, similar to a video game.  The scientist can guarantee that you will be happy in this machine as it caters to your every whim and fantasy, and while you are in the machine, you won’t even know it is a simulation.  However, every person and thing you encounter within the machine is simply a programmed simulation and nothing and no one you encounter will actually be real.  And here’s the catch: If you choose to live in the simulation, although you will be happy, you can never go back to the real world.  What would you do?  Spend the rest of your life where you are guaranteed happiness in a fantasy world?  Or choose to live your life in the real world?  And why?

Have a wonderful day.