The pursuit of happiness

摘要

In 1974, in my book Anarchy, State and Utopia, I described a thought experiment about a device that I called the "experience machine." This machine would give anyone any experience he or she desires over an indefinite period of time—writing a great novel, being recognized as a great artist, making friends, ruling a nation, bringing about international peace, loving and being loved. A person could experience what it feels like to perform any activity or live any kind of life. I imagined that while inside this machine the person would not remember having entered it, would not know the experiences were an illusion created by the machine. From "the inside," the experiences would feel exactly as if they were happening.