Skylar Windholz
Professor Miller
English 1020-Core Composition 1
12 Sept 2017
The Experience Machine In Robert Nozick’s novel Anarchy, State, and Utopia, he writes about an experiment called “The Experience Machine”, which attempts to disprove hedonism. Hedonists believe “happiness is merely the condition of having a favorable balance of pleasure over displeasure” (Haybron 502). This way of thinking concludes that pleasure is the ultimate life goal. Nozick questions readers if they were given a choice between reality and a simulated reality, which option would they choose? This machine gives humans the ability to choose any experience and have no awareness they are floating in a tank. All feelings of sadness, anxiety, and stress would be replaced with endless pleasure, nevertheless, this version of “reality” defeats the meaning of life. In this paper, I will argue Nozick’s belief that there’s more to life than experiencing as much pleasure as possible, such as being able to live one’s life and experience everything first hand.
To begin with, Nozick claims that plugging into the experience machine limits the meaning of our experiences, therefore causing life to lose meaning with the reduction of “no actual contact with any deeper reality” (Nozick 645). Even though constantly feeling pleasure sounds like true happiness, it “characterizes a relatively shallow...selfish life, in which things go well, needs and desires are easily satisfied” (Smith). Essentially, this would be taking the easy way out of life, and not allowing oneself to strive and work toward goals. With the limitations of a simulated reality, one of the numerous parts of the human experience is …show more content…
“Happiness and Pleasure.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research Vol. 62, No. 3, 2001, pp. 501-5028
Nozick, Robert. Anarchy, State, and Utopia. Basic Books, Inc., 1974.
Smith, Emily E. “There’s more to life than being happy.” The Atlantic.
9 Jan
Professor Miller
English 1020-Core Composition 1
12 Sept 2017
The Experience Machine In Robert Nozick’s novel Anarchy, State, and Utopia, he writes about an experiment called “The Experience Machine”, which attempts to disprove hedonism. Hedonists believe “happiness is merely the condition of having a favorable balance of pleasure over displeasure” (Haybron 502). This way of thinking concludes that pleasure is the ultimate life goal. Nozick questions readers if they were given a choice between reality and a simulated reality, which option would they choose? This machine gives humans the ability to choose any experience and have no awareness they are floating in a tank. All feelings of sadness, anxiety, and stress would be replaced with endless pleasure, nevertheless, this version of “reality” defeats the meaning of life. In this paper, I will argue Nozick’s belief that there’s more to life than experiencing as much pleasure as possible, such as being able to live one’s life and experience everything first hand.
To begin with, Nozick claims that plugging into the experience machine limits the meaning of our experiences, therefore causing life to lose meaning with the reduction of “no actual contact with any deeper reality” (Nozick 645). Even though constantly feeling pleasure sounds like true happiness, it “characterizes a relatively shallow...selfish life, in which things go well, needs and desires are easily satisfied” (Smith). Essentially, this would be taking the easy way out of life, and not allowing oneself to strive and work toward goals. With the limitations of a simulated reality, one of the numerous parts of the human experience is …show more content…
“Happiness and Pleasure.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research Vol. 62, No. 3, 2001, pp. 501-5028
Nozick, Robert. Anarchy, State, and Utopia. Basic Books, Inc., 1974.
Smith, Emily E. “There’s more to life than being happy.” The Atlantic.
9 Jan