TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Bethany Rickwald and Hayley Levitt: Would you opt for a life with no pain?

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Imagine if you could plug your brain into a machine that would bring you ultimate pleasure for the rest of your life. If you were given the choice to sign up for that kind of eenxticse, would you? That's the queoistn pshoopelihr Robert Nozick posed through a thought experiment he called the ecepxnreie Machine. The experiment asks us to consider a world in which scientists have developed a machine that would smlutaie real life while guaranteeing experiences of only pleasure and never pain. The catch? You have to permanently leave reality behind, but you'll hardly know the difference. Your experiences will be inshgiidinlabtsue from reality. Life's natural ups and downs will just be replaced with an endless series of ups. Sounds gerat, right? It may seem like a tempting offer, but perhaps it's not as ideal as it sounds. The experiment was actually designed to refute a philosophical notion called heiodsnm. According to hedonists, maximizing net pleasure is the most important thing in life because pleasure is the greatest good that life has to offer. For hedonists, the best choice that a person could make for himself is one that brngis him the greatest possible amount of pleasure while bringing him no pain. ltmseiils pleasure minus zero pain equals maximum net pleasure, or in other wdros, the excat scenario the Experience macnhie oeffrs. Therefore, if hedonism is your philosophy of choice, plugging in would be a no-brainer. But what if there's more to life than just pleasure? That's what Nozick believed he was demonstrating through his Experience Machine thought experiment. Despite the machine's promise of maximum net pleasure, he still found reason not to plug in, as do many other experimenters who consider the proposition. But what could possibly dissuade us from cisohnog a future of ultimate pleasure? Consider this sircaeno. Betsy and Xander are in a loving, committed relationship. Betsy is head over hlees and has never felt happier. However, unbeknownst to Betsy, Xander has been romancing her sister, Angelica, with love letters and secret rendezvous for the dtiuraon of their relationship. If Betsy found out, it would dtoersy her relationships with both Xander and Angelica, and the experience would be so tiuratamc, she would never love again. Since Betsy is in blissful iorgcnane about Xander's infidelity, hedonists would say she's better off remaining in the dark and maintaining her high level of net pleasure. As long as Betsy never fndis out about the relationship, her life is guaranteed to go on as happily as it is right now. So, is there value in Besty knowing the truth of her situation? ignimae if you were Betsy. Would you prefer to know the truth? If the answer is yes, you'd be choosing an ooiptn that sharply decreases your net pularsee. Perhaps, then, you believe that there are things in life with gatreer iinrtsinc value than pleasure. trtuh, knowledge, authentic connection with other human beings. These are all things that might make the list. By never learning the truth, btesy is eliatlenssy linvig life in her own personal Experience Machine, a world of happiness that's not bsaed in reality. This love triangle is an extreme example, but it mrorris many of the decsnoiis we make in day to day life. So whether you're making a choice for Betsy or for yourself, why might you feel reality should be a ftacor? Is there inherent value in real experiences, whether pbelsaaulre or painful? Do you yourself have more value when you're experiencing real life's pleasures and pains? Nozick's experiment may not provide all the answers, but it forces us to consider whether real life, though imperfect, hlods some intrinsic value beyond the pleasure of plugging in.

Open Cloze

Imagine if you could plug your brain into a machine that would bring you ultimate pleasure for the rest of your life. If you were given the choice to sign up for that kind of _________, would you? That's the ________ ___________ Robert Nozick posed through a thought experiment he called the __________ Machine. The experiment asks us to consider a world in which scientists have developed a machine that would ________ real life while guaranteeing experiences of only pleasure and never pain. The catch? You have to permanently leave reality behind, but you'll hardly know the difference. Your experiences will be _________________ from reality. Life's natural ups and downs will just be replaced with an endless series of ups. Sounds _____, right? It may seem like a tempting offer, but perhaps it's not as ideal as it sounds. The experiment was actually designed to refute a philosophical notion called ________. According to hedonists, maximizing net pleasure is the most important thing in life because pleasure is the greatest good that life has to offer. For hedonists, the best choice that a person could make for himself is one that ______ him the greatest possible amount of pleasure while bringing him no pain. _________ pleasure minus zero pain equals maximum net pleasure, or in other _____, the _____ scenario the Experience _______ ______. Therefore, if hedonism is your philosophy of choice, plugging in would be a no-brainer. But what if there's more to life than just pleasure? That's what Nozick believed he was demonstrating through his Experience Machine thought experiment. Despite the machine's promise of maximum net pleasure, he still found reason not to plug in, as do many other experimenters who consider the proposition. But what could possibly dissuade us from ________ a future of ultimate pleasure? Consider this ________. Betsy and Xander are in a loving, committed relationship. Betsy is head over _____ and has never felt happier. However, unbeknownst to Betsy, Xander has been romancing her sister, Angelica, with love letters and secret rendezvous for the ________ of their relationship. If Betsy found out, it would _______ her relationships with both Xander and Angelica, and the experience would be so _________, she would never love again. Since Betsy is in blissful _________ about Xander's infidelity, hedonists would say she's better off remaining in the dark and maintaining her high level of net pleasure. As long as Betsy never _____ out about the relationship, her life is guaranteed to go on as happily as it is right now. So, is there value in Besty knowing the truth of her situation? _______ if you were Betsy. Would you prefer to know the truth? If the answer is yes, you'd be choosing an ______ that sharply decreases your net ________. Perhaps, then, you believe that there are things in life with _______ _________ value than pleasure. _____, knowledge, authentic connection with other human beings. These are all things that might make the list. By never learning the truth, _____ is ___________ ______ life in her own personal Experience Machine, a world of happiness that's not _____ in reality. This love triangle is an extreme example, but it _______ many of the _________ we make in day to day life. So whether you're making a choice for Betsy or for yourself, why might you feel reality should be a ______? Is there inherent value in real experiences, whether ___________ or painful? Do you yourself have more value when you're experiencing real life's pleasures and pains? Nozick's experiment may not provide all the answers, but it forces us to consider whether real life, though imperfect, _____ some intrinsic value beyond the pleasure of plugging in.

Solution

essentially
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betsy
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philosopher
ignorance
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Original Text

Imagine if you could plug your brain into a machine that would bring you ultimate pleasure for the rest of your life. If you were given the choice to sign up for that kind of existence, would you? That's the question philosopher Robert Nozick posed through a thought experiment he called the Experience Machine. The experiment asks us to consider a world in which scientists have developed a machine that would simulate real life while guaranteeing experiences of only pleasure and never pain. The catch? You have to permanently leave reality behind, but you'll hardly know the difference. Your experiences will be indistinguishable from reality. Life's natural ups and downs will just be replaced with an endless series of ups. Sounds great, right? It may seem like a tempting offer, but perhaps it's not as ideal as it sounds. The experiment was actually designed to refute a philosophical notion called hedonism. According to hedonists, maximizing net pleasure is the most important thing in life because pleasure is the greatest good that life has to offer. For hedonists, the best choice that a person could make for himself is one that brings him the greatest possible amount of pleasure while bringing him no pain. Limitless pleasure minus zero pain equals maximum net pleasure, or in other words, the exact scenario the Experience Machine offers. Therefore, if hedonism is your philosophy of choice, plugging in would be a no-brainer. But what if there's more to life than just pleasure? That's what Nozick believed he was demonstrating through his Experience Machine thought experiment. Despite the machine's promise of maximum net pleasure, he still found reason not to plug in, as do many other experimenters who consider the proposition. But what could possibly dissuade us from choosing a future of ultimate pleasure? Consider this scenario. Betsy and Xander are in a loving, committed relationship. Betsy is head over heels and has never felt happier. However, unbeknownst to Betsy, Xander has been romancing her sister, Angelica, with love letters and secret rendezvous for the duration of their relationship. If Betsy found out, it would destroy her relationships with both Xander and Angelica, and the experience would be so traumatic, she would never love again. Since Betsy is in blissful ignorance about Xander's infidelity, hedonists would say she's better off remaining in the dark and maintaining her high level of net pleasure. As long as Betsy never finds out about the relationship, her life is guaranteed to go on as happily as it is right now. So, is there value in Besty knowing the truth of her situation? Imagine if you were Betsy. Would you prefer to know the truth? If the answer is yes, you'd be choosing an option that sharply decreases your net pleasure. Perhaps, then, you believe that there are things in life with greater intrinsic value than pleasure. Truth, knowledge, authentic connection with other human beings. These are all things that might make the list. By never learning the truth, Betsy is essentially living life in her own personal Experience Machine, a world of happiness that's not based in reality. This love triangle is an extreme example, but it mirrors many of the decisions we make in day to day life. So whether you're making a choice for Betsy or for yourself, why might you feel reality should be a factor? Is there inherent value in real experiences, whether pleasurable or painful? Do you yourself have more value when you're experiencing real life's pleasures and pains? Nozick's experiment may not provide all the answers, but it forces us to consider whether real life, though imperfect, holds some intrinsic value beyond the pleasure of plugging in.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
experience machine	3
net pleasure	3
thought experiment	2
maximum net	2

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