The Experience Machine

Yeah it's great. It's just so real, man. Lyrics written by Kris McDaniel Kris McDaniel: vocals, keyboards, edrums, bass guitar, electric guitar, Hawaiian slide guitar, electric slide guitar Ben Bradley: vocals Cover art by Carrie Jenkins The Experience Machine is a fictional device that appears in a thought experiment by Robert Nozick. The Experience Machine is capable of perfectly duplicating any sensation or feeling that one might have in ordinary life. Imagine two people, Bill and Ted, whose lives are filled with experiences that feel the same to each of them. Bill believes he is at the University, studying for an exam that he must pass in order to pass a class; Ted believes he is at the University, studying for an exam that he must pass in order to pass a class. Later, Bill will experience the pleasures of going to a restaurant with a good friend; he will experience fine wine, good food, and fine company. Ted will experience these pleasures as well. However, none of Bill’s experiences are veridical. Bill has never been to a University, is not enrolled in any classes, has never eaten in a restaurant, and he has no friends. Instead, he has lived his life in the Experience Machine, which has produced all of the sensations and feelings present throughout Bill’s life. Ted’s experiences, however, are veridical. He really did study for an exam in a class he is enrolled in, and really did go to a restaurant with a good friend. Is Bill’s life going as well for him as Ted’s life is for Ted? Or does the fact that Ted has veridical experiences while Bill’s experiences are illusory imply that Ted has a better life than Bill’s? Is Ted having an awesome adventure, while Bill is having a bogus journey? Would you enter the Experience Machine? Copyright 2022 © The 21st Century Monads