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I'm reading a very enjoyable book called "The Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner. Not very far into it yet - but great so far. In the chapter I'm reading now, he talks about an experiment by Robert Nozick called the Experience Machine in which a hypothetical machine would be able to stimulate the brain in order to induce pleasure. It's perfectly safe with no chance of any kind of damage. You would, with no risk, be able to experience constant pleasure for the rest of your life.
Would you do it? Nozcik found that most people would not leading him to conclude that there is more to happiness than pleasure/more to life than pleasure. What exactly that is is harder to nail down. Do we want to achieve our happiness instead of just experience it (is that a part of what makes us "happpy"?). Do we need the ups and downs to appreciate the ups? ??????
Many years ago a researcher connected implants into rat's brains which stimulated their sexual pleasure area. And connected those to a switch which the rats could press...
The rats behaved like a drug addict - constantly pressing the switch and neglecting everything else like resting, drinking water, and eating. I think they died from this?
Anyway fun, happiness, and pleasure is not so without sometimes having the opposite. The bad and not so good times make the good times good!
As an example, what does air smell like? We don't know because we are always smelling it. Same with pleasure. It would not be pleasure if we always had it!
Don't you remember that old Twilight Zone episode where the gangster dies. He was afraid he was going to hell because of all the bad things he did in life. Well, he gets to his eternal place and there are beautiful women, the best cigars, booze, pool tables, etc. All his favorite things. He's convinced he' sin heaven. He shoots pool and gets every single shot. He has every single thing his heart could ever possibly desire. He just has to say the word and *poof* there it is. Perfect games of pool, never missing a shot. Hot dames, etc etc etc.
After a while, he started getting tired of it. He was going crazy because everything was "too perfect".... he finally realized he was NOT in heaven; he was in hell.
Don't you remember that old Twilight Zone episode where the gangster dies. He was afraid he was going to hell because of all the bad things he did in life. Well, he gets to his eternal place and there are beautiful women, the best cigars, booze, pool tables, etc. All his favorite things. He's convinced he' sin heaven. He shoots pool and gets every single shot. He has every single thing his heart could ever possibly desire. He just has to say the word and *poof* there it is. Perfect games of pool, never missing a shot. Hot dames, etc etc etc.
After a while, he started getting tired of it. He was going crazy because everything was "too perfect".... he finally realized he was NOT in heaven; he was in hell.
I remember that one! To answer my own question in the OP, I wouldn't do it. Why is kind of hard to articulate because I'm not happy now and would love to be. I guess the idea of the machine making you happy seems like faux happiness to me (though the brain wouldn't know the difference). It doesn't sound "real" - because it isn't really based on anything. It doesn't sound rewarding. Though if it was a portable machine and I could be hooked up while still doing my everyday things, it would be nice to be in a better mood. But I guess that begs the question of would we stop doing the things we do to be happy because we didn't need them anymore?
There are different levels of "happiness". There is:
Pleasure. This is momentary and physical.
Happiness. This is longer term and involves our mind.
Peace/Joy. This last the longest (eternal, for some) and involves your spirit/soul.
A person can have one without the other two (or two without the third).
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