🧠 The Thought Experiment Lab [public]

​Note: while there are many guests listed in the RSVP, most of these are carried over from previous events in this series. We don't expect much more than 30 to attend.

"Imagination without reason is mere fancy, but reason without imagination is sterile. That is partly why scientists and philosophers alike have always used imaginary scenarios to help sharpen their ideas and push them to their limits." - The Pig that Wants to be Eaten, by Julian Baggini

For this meeting (May 7), we'll be discussing skepticism and whether we can know if we are brains in a vat, living in a simulation, being deceived by an all-powerful demon, etc.

• ​We'll take some time at the meeting to read about GE Moore's argument against skepticism: https://www.lse.ac.uk/philosophy/blog/2020/09/29/g-e-moores-hands-vs-radical-scepticism/

• ​And also this primer on philosophical discourse: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gj3HesfWz4A2kEAMSY0x7hNxvJZNtiCexUeilJXVak8/edit?tab=t.0

• ​It is highly recommended to also read this short article beforehand: https://spot.colorado.edu/~huemer/V.htm

​Some examples of things we've discussed at past meetings:

• ​Could a vegetarian eat a pig with a clear conscience, if that pig wanted to be eaten?

• ​Does a person survive using a teleporter that destroys the body and recreates it with perfect fidelity?

• ​Does the existence of evil in the world pose a problem for belief in a benevolent God?

​We'll be meeting in the 550 Room (down the stairs on the North side). Contact me by text if you're having trouble finding the location.

​On the Wednesdays when we're not running this event, we'll often be having similar discussions here: https://lu.ma/shortstories