WEBVTT

00:00:06.837 --> 00:00:10.044
Imagine if you could plug 
your brain into a machine

00:00:10.044 --> 00:00:13.320
that would bring you ultimate pleasure
for the rest of your life.

00:00:13.320 --> 00:00:17.620
If you were given the choice to sign up
for that kind of existence, would you?

00:00:17.620 --> 00:00:20.163
That's the question philosopher 
Robert Nozick posed

00:00:20.163 --> 00:00:24.115
through a thought experiment
he called the Experience Machine.

00:00:24.115 --> 00:00:26.295
The experiment asks us 
to consider a world

00:00:26.295 --> 00:00:30.376
in which scientists have developed 
a machine that would simulate real life

00:00:30.376 --> 00:00:35.610
while guaranteeing experiences
of only pleasure and never pain.

00:00:35.610 --> 00:00:36.540
The catch?

00:00:36.540 --> 00:00:39.012
You have to permanently
leave reality behind,

00:00:39.012 --> 00:00:40.845
but you'll hardly know the difference.

00:00:40.845 --> 00:00:44.246
Your experiences will be 
indistinguishable from reality.

00:00:44.246 --> 00:00:45.758
Life's natural ups and downs

00:00:45.758 --> 00:00:49.835
will just be replaced 
with an endless series of ups.

00:00:49.835 --> 00:00:51.401
Sounds great, right?

00:00:51.401 --> 00:00:56.097
It may seem like a tempting offer,
but perhaps it's not as ideal as it sounds.

00:00:56.097 --> 00:00:59.882
The experiment was actually designed
to refute a philosophical notion

00:00:59.882 --> 00:01:01.580
called hedonism.

00:01:01.580 --> 00:01:02.997
According to hedonists,

00:01:02.997 --> 00:01:06.940
maximizing net pleasure 
is the most important thing in life

00:01:06.940 --> 00:01:10.309
because pleasure is the greatest good
that life has to offer.

00:01:10.309 --> 00:01:13.487
For hedonists, the best choice that
a person could make for himself

00:01:13.487 --> 00:01:17.122
is one that brings him the greatest
possible amount of pleasure

00:01:17.122 --> 00:01:19.331
while bringing him no pain.

00:01:19.331 --> 00:01:23.699
Limitless pleasure minus zero pain
equals maximum net pleasure,

00:01:23.699 --> 00:01:28.424
or in other words, the exact scenario
the Experience Machine offers.

00:01:28.424 --> 00:01:30.964
Therefore, if hedonism 
is your philosophy of choice,

00:01:30.964 --> 00:01:33.979
plugging in would be a no-brainer.

00:01:33.979 --> 00:01:36.766
But what if there's more to life
than just pleasure?

00:01:36.766 --> 00:01:39.047
That's what Nozick believed
he was demonstrating

00:01:39.047 --> 00:01:42.194
through his Experience Machine 
thought experiment.

00:01:42.194 --> 00:01:45.117
Despite the machine's promise
of maximum net pleasure,

00:01:45.117 --> 00:01:47.591
he still found reason not to plug in,

00:01:47.591 --> 00:01:51.857
as do many other experimenters
who consider the proposition.

00:01:51.857 --> 00:01:56.670
But what could possibly dissuade us from
choosing a future of ultimate pleasure?

00:01:56.670 --> 00:01:58.156
Consider this scenario.

00:01:58.156 --> 00:02:01.073
Betsy and Xander are in a loving,
committed relationship.

00:02:01.073 --> 00:02:04.321
Betsy is head over heels
and has never felt happier.

00:02:04.321 --> 00:02:06.053
However, unbeknownst to Betsy,

00:02:06.053 --> 00:02:09.201
Xander has been romancing
her sister, Angelica,

00:02:09.201 --> 00:02:14.403
with love letters and secret rendezvous
for the duration of their relationship.

00:02:14.403 --> 00:02:15.524
If Betsy found out,

00:02:15.524 --> 00:02:19.482
it would destroy her relationships 
with both Xander and Angelica,

00:02:19.482 --> 00:02:23.488
and the experience would be so traumatic,
she would never love again.

00:02:23.488 --> 00:02:26.632
Since Betsy is in blissful ignorance
about Xander's infidelity,

00:02:26.632 --> 00:02:30.000
hedonists would say she's better off
remaining in the dark

00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:33.628
and maintaining her high level
of net pleasure.

00:02:33.628 --> 00:02:36.485
As long as Betsy never finds out
about the relationship,

00:02:36.485 --> 00:02:41.204
her life is guaranteed to go on
as happily as it is right now.

00:02:41.204 --> 00:02:45.823
So, is there value in Besty knowing
the truth of her situation?

00:02:45.823 --> 00:02:47.561
Imagine if you were Betsy.

00:02:47.561 --> 00:02:49.909
Would you prefer to know the truth?

00:02:49.909 --> 00:02:51.060
If the answer is yes,

00:02:51.060 --> 00:02:55.340
you'd be choosing an option
that sharply decreases your net pleasure.

00:02:55.340 --> 00:02:57.943
Perhaps, then, you believe
that there are things in life

00:02:57.943 --> 00:03:00.943
with greater intrinsic value
than pleasure.

00:03:00.943 --> 00:03:04.807
Truth, knowledge, authentic connection
with other human beings.

00:03:04.807 --> 00:03:07.666
These are all things 
that might make the list.

00:03:07.666 --> 00:03:09.066
By never learning the truth,

00:03:09.066 --> 00:03:13.209
Betsy is essentially living life
in her own personal Experience Machine,

00:03:13.209 --> 00:03:17.028
a world of happiness 
that's not based in reality.

00:03:17.028 --> 00:03:19.341
This love triangle is an extreme example,

00:03:19.341 --> 00:03:23.646
but it mirrors many of the decisions
we make in day to day life.

00:03:23.646 --> 00:03:26.570
So whether you're making a choice
for Betsy or for yourself,

00:03:26.570 --> 00:03:30.098
why might you feel reality
should be a factor?

00:03:30.098 --> 00:03:33.115
Is there inherent value 
in real experiences,

00:03:33.115 --> 00:03:35.518
whether pleasurable or painful?

00:03:35.518 --> 00:03:37.388
Do you yourself have more value

00:03:37.388 --> 00:03:41.852
when you're experiencing 
real life's pleasures and pains?

00:03:41.852 --> 00:03:44.358
Nozick's experiment may not provide
all the answers,

00:03:44.358 --> 00:03:48.572
but it forces us to consider whether
real life, though imperfect,

00:03:48.572 --> 00:03:52.895
holds some intrinsic value 
beyond the pleasure of plugging in.