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Nozick's Ethical Hedonism

1000 Words4 Pages

What Matters to Us? Ethical Hedonism explores the maximization of our pleasure and happiness as a fundamental obligation for morality; but Nozick’s experiment demonstrates that pleasure and happiness doesn’t only matter to us. This essay argues that Nozick’s thought experiment, the “experience machine” exemplifies the weaknesses of Ethical Hedonism, as perfecting the machine illustrates that to truly live our lives; we must value other matters besides pleasure. Firstly, this essay will discuss Nozick’s thought experiment “the experience machine” and what the experiment reveals. Secondly, reasonable objections to why I wouldn’t enter a machine that promises me maximal pleasure as Nozick identifies several issues exposed by the thought experiment. …show more content…

Primarily, he proposes that we “aspire to do certain things” (Nozick, 1974; pp 43) not just experience them. For example, I don’t just want the pleasure of consuming a cold ice cream cone; I actually want to eat one. The process of actions or its completion brings satisfaction and enhances our pleasure, which the machine robs us of. Moreover, as much as doing certain things creates pleasure and happiness, we “aspire to be a certain way” (Nozick, 1974; pp 43). We describe ourselves in terms of attributes; for example, am I caring or am I ruthless. Descriptions of ourselves or others are reflected in our individualized experiences and actions. Plugging into the machine hijacks our individual experiences of happiness and without these individualized moments, we lose what renders us who we are. Defining who we are is important to us and therefore, the machine makes us lose who we are. Finally, Nozick proposes that “plugging into an experience machine limits us to a man-made reality” (Nozick, 1974; pp 43). By placing ourselves in the machine, we attain no “real” contact with other people. The experience of virtually living cannot be compared to “living” life in reality as virtual reality doesn’t provide us with the same quality of “living”; since we’re social beings and instinctively we need other people in our lives to make them feel worthwhile. Therefore, these shortcomings, define in addition to pleasure what really matters to us leading to one rejecting to enter the machine, weakening the argument for Ethical

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