The experience machine (and other objections to Hedonism)

AGENDA

1. Hedonism defined (recap)
2. The experience machine objection against hedonism
3. Vitrano's objection
4. Other objections to Hedonism
5. Return quizzes

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Hedonism (definition)

Hedonism is the view that feeling happy is all that matters; a life is good to the extent it is happy. Details:

1. All that matters is "subjective wellbeing"--how you feel from the inside
2. Other things can be instrumentally valuable (health, education, virtue, financial success, friendship, parenthood, etc.), but only to the extent they increase happiness
3. When comparing two lives, one can be better only if it's happier

What is "feeling happy"? multiple views

1. John Stuart Mill--feeling pleasure, which varies in both quantity and quality
2. Christine Vitrano--life satisfaction, which includes both a judgment and a feeling
3. Other views

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The experience machine objection 

(Robert Nozick, 1974 & 1989) 

The experience machine thought experiment (p. 28)

Picture credit: Helen DeCruz, Philosophy Illustrated

Experience machine Argument 

1. If we plugged in to the experience machine, we would feel as happy as possible. 
2. We wouldn't choose to plug in. 
3. Therefore, feeling happy is not all that matters  (i.e. hedonism is false)

Notice--

• We would feel as much pleasure as possible
• We would also have as much life satisfaction as possible
• So the argument is against both versions of hedonism

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What else matters?

pg. 28 

• we want to do certain things, but in the EM we wouldn't be doing anything 
• we want to be a certain kind of person, but in the EM we would just be a blob 
• we want to have contact with reality and even a deeper reality

p. 32 (from The Examined Life, 1989) - great page!

"We care about more than just how things feel to us from the inside; there is more to life than feeling happy. We care about what is actually the case. We want certain situations we value, prize, and think important to actually hold and be so. We want our beliefs, or certain of them, to be true and accurate; we want our emotions, or certain important ones, to be based upon facts that hold and to be fitting. We want to be importantly connected to reality, not to live in a delusion."

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Interpreting Nozick

Christine Vitrano's interpretation of Nozick's argument is a bit different.  This is partly due the way she defines some key terms like "hedonism" and "happiness." Further discussion of that is here, if you're interested.

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Vitrano's Escapist Behavior Objection (p. 139-140)

1. People pursue enjoyments that are divorced from reality
2. Therefore,
• they might actually plug into the experience machine
• they may really only care about feeling happy, not contact with reality.

Enjoyments divorced from reality (p. 139-140)

• reading novels
• watching movies
• playing video games
• participating in civil war reenactments
• attending Renaissance festivals
• visiting Disney world
• new example: having relationships with AIs

Having an AI friend (NYT article)

• Chat GPT and other bots are designed to feel like companions
• 72% of teenagers have used chat bots as companions (lots of data)
• Specialized companion bots are also being developed
• the "Friend" pendant

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Nozick's life contour argument against hedonism

1. We prefer the uphill life to the downhill lives.
2. The downhill lives deliver equal or greater total happiness. 
3. Therefore, total happiness is not all that matters.