PERSONAL GROWTH — FEBRUARY 15, 2023
7 thought experiments that will make you question everything
From "Thompson's violinist" to the "Experience Machine," these thought experiments will throw your mind for a loop.
Credit: Annelisa Leinbach
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Thought experiments provide a platform to examine abstract concepts in a playful and imaginative manner. The best thought experiments challenge our beliefs and offer fresh perspectives on how the world operates by presenting hypothetical situations. These hypothetical situations are often constructed in extremes so we can see how certain ideas might play out — all without suffering any real-world repercussions.
Scotty Hendricks
This article was first published on Big Think in April 2018. It was updated in February 2023.
Thought experiments are among the most important tools in the intellectual toolbox. Widely used in many disciplines, thought experiments allow for complex situations to be explored, questions to be raised, and complex ideas to be placed in an understandable context. Here are seven thought experiments in philosophy you might not have heard of, complete with explanations of what they mean and what questions they raise.
Swampman
Written by Donald Davidson in 1987, this thought experiment raises questions about identity.
Suppose a man is out for a walk one day when a bolt of lightning disintegrates him. Simultaneously, a bolt of lightning strikes a marsh and causes a bunch of molecules to spontaneously rearrange into the same pattern that constituted that man a few moments ago. This “Swampman” has an exact copy of the brain, memories, patterns of behavior as he did. It goes about its day, works, interacts with the man’s friends and is otherwise indistinguishable from him.
https://bigthink.com/personal-growth/seven-thought-experiments-thatll-make-you-question-everything/