Paper #2: Exploring Philosophical
Thought Experiments
Thought experiments are heuristic tools philosophers use to investigate speculative questions in metaphysics, ethics, and other subfields of the discipline. They typically ask the reader to imagine finding him- or herself in a narrowly defined, carefully scripted hypothetical situation of some sort. This approach is useful in isolating specific aspects of philosophical problems in a way that personalizes the issues involved and engages readers directly in the art of philosophizing.
For this assignment, select a thought experiment that interests you from the list below, research it via the library or Internet, then write an essay in which you describe it, explain its origins, logic, and other key details, and discuss what it taught you and how the knowledge might be useful. Save your essay as a docx file and upload it to the designated folder by the assigned due date. Your essay should be at least 500 words long and contain no language or typographical errors.
Good essays demonstrate knowledge of:
The experiment itself: what it is about, who created it, how it works, what it is supposed to teach, and other key details.
Vocabulary and ideas from the first five weeks of this course. Use course content and resources to describe the experiment.
Library or Internet sources and proper MLA formatting and citation techniques. See the links posted under Writing Resources in our classroom.
Choose one of the following Thought Experiments to investigate:
The Ship of Theseus (Plutarch): A thought experiment on the nature of identity.
The Inverted Spectrum Problem (John Locke): A thought experiment on the nature of perception and reality.
The Swamp Man (Donald Davidson): A thought experiment on the construction of meaning.
The Prisoner’s Dilemma (Merrill Flood and Melvin Drescher): A thought experiment on reward and punishment.
The Private Language Argument, “Beetle in a Box” (Ludwig Wittgenstein): A thought experiment on the nature of language.
Mary’s Room, Knowledge Argument (Frank Jackson): A thought experiment on the nature of knowledge.
The Chinese Room Argument (John Searle): A thought experiment about Artificial Intelligence.
The Pleasure Machine, or Experience Machine (Robert Nozick): A thought experiment on the value of pleasure.
The Utility Monster (Robert Nozick): A thought experiment that refutes ethical utilitarianism.
The Trolley Problem (Philippa Foot): A thought experiment in personal ethics.
Thomson’s Violinist (Judith Jarvis Thomson): A thought experiment on the defense of abortion.
The Original Position (John Rawls): A thought experiment on the nature of society.
