8.4 After-class discussion
玲玲
Read Nozick's Experience Machine, then provide TWO reasons for each side (plug or not plug). Preferably in English.
回复
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HerminPlug:
So, there is this magic machine, and would I give it a shot like taking it as a roller coaster? Hell yeah. I mean, why not? It is an embodiment of human intelligence, a fantastic invention, a promising money-making technology. All those philosophic queries, ethical debates and depth talks just make it more mythical, glorious and tantalising altogether.
Curiosity. That is what take here in the first place. I am driven by my intense curiosity to plug in and see what could happen, even though my conscience is trying to stop me from that.
But after that passion abates, my reasons takes hold. I am panicked by the idea of drugging myself the whole lifespan, but it would be nice to have more possibilities. It is worth trying to explore the uncharted territory, set off for adventures that I would never have the chance otherwise. Wouldn’t it be interesting to step in for a little while just as taking a nap, far
away from the madding crowd? Thankfully, this machine allows me to do that. I can choose another trajectory of life and let my imagination run wild. But I know I would come back in hours. I still need to correspond with reality, not living like a happy hog.
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魏巷宁Shiningplug： It seems to be a perfect idea. A virtual world, a pre-programmed and a well-organized life and every-two-year’s re-determination facilitate an satisfied ending. Everyone can live as the way as the way he or she designed earlier. This is how the experience machine works. As an ordinary person, I may have less to pursue and I may not be able to make great contributions to shock the world, nor am I able to discover some profound mystery to promote world’s development. However, I long for a normal life that is simple, calm, safe, free and happy. Under this circumstance, I will choose to plug into this experience machine, because it guarantees my most requests for living a normal life, at the same time, leaving me the right to opt the next two years’ life. What is more, the experience machine is more like a shortcut to one’s desired life which makes life easier. -
魏巷宁ShiningPlug It seems to be a perfect idea. A virtual world, a pre-programmed and a well-organized life and every-two-year’s re-determination facilitate an satisfied ending. Everyone can live as the way as the way he or she designed earlier. This is how the experience machine works. As an ordinary person, I may have less to pursue and I may not be able to make great contributions to shock the world, nor am I able to discover some profound mystery to promote world’s development. However, I long for a normal life that is simple, calm, safe, free and happy. Under this circumstance, I will choose to plug into this experience machine, because it guarantees my most requests for living a normal life, at the same time, leaving me the right to opt the next two years’ life. What is more, the experience machine is more like a shortcut to one’s desired life which makes life easier.
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李卓凡Plug: 1. It seems like the machine does not have any disadvantage, no disadvantages means we do not need to care anything about the real life and our security. Thus, if we choose to plug, we are able to experience different life in our mind. 2. though it is not work to the real life, I think it does not matter because we can plug it for the whole life, the reaction brain give us is that we did the things we wanted to do. -
Hermin
Unplug: There is a word—Eudaimonia—in Greek. It depicts a life of flourishing, a life in which a person is constantly striving for self-improvement, to be more virtuous, wiser, better. That is eudaimonia, a life praised by Aristotle, which can be translated as happiness. Plugging in to fake happiness? Indulging in the pursuit of pleasure? All there left is getting the right kind of experiences and getting the right kind of mental states. That does not sound a life well lived, not even remotely. You think you are living in a serene countryside, but you are not actually living; you think you are learning and progressing, but you are not actually better; you think you are getting rich, but you are not actually rich; you think you are powerful, but you don’t actually have any power; you think you are in love with someone, but you are not actually loved; you think you are in good shape, but you are probably the opposite; you think you are admired, honoured and respected, but you are not at all; you don’t even exist for the real world outside the lab.
How pathetic!
And I want to add a point: the machine may provide you a better world but you are still you. Your weakness and your fear will continue to haunt you, to stop you from arriving at the ultimate happiness.
Let's do something useful in the real world, to our real families, our real friends. Can we just be a better self in reality?
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陈圣鹏Not Plug: By and large, there are mainly two subjects involved in this whole assumption, i.e. “us” and the experience machine. The way I see it, the innate attributes of the aforementioned subjects will somehow determine a miserable ending. We, humans, are invariably subject to insatiability, which I believe is the inherent weakness of mankind. Satisfying every desire without exception will bring no utopian ecstasy, but instead, it will make us become tragic Icarus. The experience machine is an inviting swamp: even though we are programmed to believe everything to be true, there’s always an insurmountable gap between reality and fantasy, nothing is truly true; everything we do in the machine is like sinking ourselves deep in the swamp inch by inch. As a result, the swamp itself will turn into a somewhat yoke of slavery, that is to say, unplugging the machine will cost everything you have experienced and created, which is surely a disillusioning disaster, and you become the slave of the machine rather than the master of your own will. -
陈圣鹏Plug: 1. According to the assumption given, there’s no clear distinction between reality and dream if we are to plug ourselves in the machine. Therefore, the machine doesn’t deprive us of the process of realizing what we want or the sense of experiencing the real; it simply makes the whole process more satisfactory while assuring real experiences. 2. The inequality between cultures, states, regions, groups and individuals will continue to prevail as long as social relations exist. The realization of one’s will is always at the cost of sacrificing others’, as a result, the polarization between the satisfied and the unsatisfied will always stand. The experience machine, however, grants us a world where no real sacrifices will be made, everyone could realize their own values without actually hurting others. To romanticize a little bit, we could even claim that the inequality could be eliminated through the experience machine.
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胡博元同学Not Plug: 1. Plugging forever means that I lost “the connection with reality” which makes me become totally useless to the world in reality. The feeling of contributing to the world matters for me other than my experiences (In some ways, meaning over happiness) Meanwhile, the thought of being deceived by the machine that I have made contributions to the world (yet it’s just an illusion, I have done nothing to the real world) makes me in reality fell uncomfortable in the first place. 2. When my memory (or part of my memory) is wiped out, am I still me? If I won’t remember my family or friends, who are my cares in the world, then my real life will be totally unexamined. In that case I am not willing to edit my memory because memories that are wiped out are lives unlived. If I keep on wiping out my memory and try new, better lives, I sort of become a Sisyphus with no purpose at all.
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胡博元同学Q: Read Nozick's Experience Machine, then provide TWO reasons for each side (plug or not plug). Preferably in English. Plug: 1. (plugging forever) I will get a chance to spend my lifetime with abundant chances and rich experiences that I may not have in real life because of factors external to my own willing, or simply enjoy a whole new life that I longed for that’s impossible for me in reality. 2. (plugging temporarily) I can dive into different virtual realities and enrich my mind in fascinating ways. For example: Spending time with Robinson Crusoe on an island; studying physics with Einstein face to face; communicating with philosophers in the past and come up with new thoughts that may benefit the world in reality…… (considering the experience machine to be super-duper intelligent)
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杨戈蕊BeverlyPlug:1. To some degree we can arrange our own lives to satisfy ourselves. We can achieve many things that will be difficult to to do in reality. And this will be a very successful journey. 2. There is a good condition that will make sure we won’t be too bored with the life designed. That is, we can change our life experience every two years so it is probably that we can enjoy these experiences after several failures.Not plug: 1. I think life is something that you must manage during a long time so whether it is lucky or not, once you are in it, you are desired to spend all your time and energy to make it better. So for me, The experience of two years is just a story or an episode in the whole life, which cannot be as a real life. Therefore, I hope my life can be a continuous journey rather than many different irrelevant episodes. 2. The Most valuable things in life is those memories and experiences I have had. Even if I am not satisfied with living conditions I really care about the friends and families who spent a lot of time with me. So I prefer the reality and I would like to manage my life genuinely.
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