Question

What does Nozick think is the problem with hedonism? Explain his “experience machine” thought experiment as you understand it.

Answer 1

Hedonism suggests that only thing that matter is pleasure and one should try to maximize his pleasure.
Nozick think this suggestion to be wrong and opine that there are something that human values more than pleasure.
To prove his point , he designed an experiment machine. Where a person will enter the lab and discuss all his dreams which are not fulfilled. then he will be made unconscious and put into tank with head connected to electrodes. Through simulation that person will experience all the things that he dreamed of in almost same time as in real life but that person then can never come to real world and talk to people .
When people were asked whether they would choose to go in such machine, most of them replied in negative. This proves that pleasure is not the ultimate im of human.