The 14-Hour LSD Trip

Anarchy, State, and Utopia by Robert Nozick

The Experience Machine concept put forward by Philosopher Robert Nozick is the idea that you could be plugged into a machine, and be able to experience anything you want: 24-Hour orgasms… or 12-hour insane parties + 12-hour at a Bahamian beach… or 2-hours of pure relaxation+ 14-hours tripping on LSD, seeing the most beautiful moments in human history+ 5-hours speaking to Steven Hawkins about the Universe + 3-hours at an insane party on a beach in the Bahamas.

The concept at a glimpse, sounds great. But there is something wrong. Because humans want to do things and we want to be a certain way and we do not want to be limited to man-made reality. But there’s a contradiction and grey-area, as that 14-hour LSD trip would certainly not be ‘limited’ to man-made reality.

We’re asked to envision other machines, to evade any contradictions. Perhaps a Transformation Machine that would allow us to be a certain way. But then you wouldn’t actually be yourself. Then what about a Results Machine that would allow to accomplish any result we would like, perhaps in the space of a year you’d like to… win Olympic Gold in 3 events, have gone to space, have won a Nobel Peace Prize and have been on the cover of Times Magazine several times. But one may still be disturbed, because the machine would be living your life for you.

So perhaps we don’t actually want any of these machines. What we want is to live in touch with reality. So that we may seek all the experiential pleasures we want such no matter how far-fetched. So that we can develop ourselves into the sort of person we want to be. So that we can accomplish any feats we set for ourselves. This is what brings humans genuine happiness and fulfilment, not machines. Although… the 14-hour LSD trip still stands as a grey area…