Experience Machines, Chinese Rooms, Original Positions, and Ice Buckets. ("I don't know what you have in mind for this evening Homer, but count me out!") Dave and Tamler continue their discussion on thought experiments--how they can be effective, the difference between their use in philosophy and psychology, and how they can spin out of control like deadly viruses and become the disease they were trying to cure. Plus, do our motives matter when it comes to raising money for charity?

Links

Chinese Room thought experiment [wikipedia.org]
Turing Test [wikipedia.org]
Ice bucket challenge [alsa.org]
Weird Al Yankovic does the Ice Bucket Challenge [youtube.com]
Flight of the Conchords "Pro-Aids" [youtube.com]
Rawls' Original Position [plato.stanford.edu]
The Veil of Ignorance [wikipedia.org]
Press Your Luck "No Whammies!" [youtube.com]
Behaviorism [wikipedia.org]
Logical positivism [wikipedia.org]

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Episode 52: Thought Experiments (Huh!) What Are They Good For? (Part 2)

Very Bad Wizards

Episode 52: Thought Experiments (Huh!) What Are They Good For? (Part 2)