Would you opt for a life with no pain? - Hayley Levitt and Bethany Rickwald

Imagine if you could plug your brain into a machine

Zamislite da možete uključiti u svoj mozak mašinu

that would bring you ultimate pleasure for the rest of your life.

koja će vam donijeti ultimativno zadovoljstvo do kraja života.

If you were given the choice to sign up for that kind of existence, would you?

Ako biste mogli birati da živite ovim životom, da li biste to uradili?

That's the question philosopher Robert Nozick posed

To je pitanje postavio filozof Robert Nozick

through a thought experiment he called the Experience Machine.

kroz misaoni eksperiment koji je nazvao Mašina iskustva.

The experiment asks us to consider a world

Eksperiment zahtijeva da zamislimo svijet

in which scientists have developed a machine that would simulate real life

u koje su naučnici stvorili mašinu koja stimulira pravi život

while guaranteeing experiences of only pleasure and never pain.

i garantuje samo iskustva zadvoljstva, a nikad boli.

The catch?

U čemu je zamka?

You have to permanently leave reality behind,

Morali biste zauvijek ostaviti stvarnost za sobom,

but you'll hardly know the difference.

ali jedva da biste i primjetili razliku.

Your experiences will be indistinguishable from reality.

Vaša iskustva se ne bi mogla razlikovati od stvarnosti.

Life's natural ups and downs

Životni usponi i padovi

will just be replaced with an endless series of ups.

bi bili zamjenjeni beskrajnim usponima.

Sounds great, right?

Zvuči sjajno, zar ne?

It may seem like a tempting offer, but perhaps it's not as ideal as it sounds.

Možda ovo izgleda kao primamljiva ponuda, ali ipak nije tako idealna kako izgleda.

The experiment was actually designed to refute a philosophical notion

Eksperiment je stvoren da pobije filozofsku misao

called hedonism.

zvanu hedonizam.

According to hedonists,

Prema hedonistima,

maximizing net pleasure is the most important thing in life

povećanje ukupnog zadovoljstva je najbitnija stvar u životu

because pleasure is the greatest good that life has to offer.

zato što je zadovoljstvo najbolja stvar koju život nudi.

For hedonists, the best choice that a person could make for himself

Za hedoniste, najbolja odluka koji čovjek može donijeti

is one that brings him the greatest possible amount of pleasure

je da proživi što je više moguće zadovoljstva

while bringing him no pain.

bez da iskusi bol.

Limitless pleasure minus zero pain equals maximum net pleasure,

Neograničeno zadovoljstvo minus nula boli je jednako najvećem ukupnom zadovoljstvu,

or in other words, the exact scenario the Experience Machine offers.

ili drugim riječima, upravo ono iskustvo koje Mašina iskustva nudi.

Therefore, if hedonism is your philosophy of choice,

Ako je hedonizam vaše filozofsko shvatanje,

plugging in would be a no-brainer.

ova mašina bi bila jednostavan odluka.

But what if there's more to life than just pleasure?

Ali šta ako je život nešto više od zadovoljstva?

That's what Nozick believed he was demonstrating

To je Nozick želio da pokaže

through his Experience Machine thought experiment.

kroz svoj misaoni eksperiment.

Despite the machine's promise of maximum net pleasure,

Bez obzira što ova mašina nudi maksimalno zadovoljstvo

he still found reason not to plug in,

on je ipak našao razlog zašto da je ne koristi,

as do many other experimenters who consider the proposition.

kao i mnogi drugi ljudi koji bi uzeli u obzir ovu opciju.

But what could possibly dissuade us from choosing a future of ultimate pleasure?

Šta bi nas to moglo odgovoriti od budućnosti ultimativnog zadovoljstva?

Consider this scenario.

Razmislite o ovome.

Betsy and Xander are in a loving, committed relationship.

Betsi i Zander su u ozbiljnoj vezi i vole jedno drugo.

Betsy is head over heels and has never felt happier.

Betsi je glavom u oblacima i nikad nije bila sretnija.

However, unbeknownst to Betsy,

Ali ono što ona ne zna

Xander has been romancing her sister, Angelica,

je da se Zanderu sviđa njena sestra Anđelika, i

with love letters and secret rendezvous for the duration of their relationship.

on joj šalje ljubavna pisma i oni se tajno sastaju.

If Betsy found out,

Ako Betsi sazna,

it would destroy her relationships with both Xander and Angelica,

to će joj uništiti vezu sa oboje,

and the experience would be so traumatic, she would never love again.

i ovo iskustvo bi bilo tako traumatično za nju da nikada više ne bi mogla voljeti nekoga.

Since Betsy is in blissful ignorance about Xander's infidelity,

Pošto Betsi živi u lijepom neznanju o Zanderovoj nevjernosti,

hedonists would say she's better off remaining in the dark

hedonisti bi rekli da joj je bolje ostati u tami

and maintaining her high level of net pleasure.

i sačuvati svoje ukupno zadovoljstvo.

As long as Betsy never finds out about the relationship,

Sve dok Betsi ne sazna za njihovu vezu,

her life is guaranteed to go on as happily as it is right now.

živjeće svoj život sretno.

So, is there value in Besty knowing the truth of her situation?

Ima li nešto vrijedno u tome da Betsi sazna istinu u ovoj situaciji?

Imagine if you were Betsy.

Zamislite da ste vi Betsi.

Would you prefer to know the truth?

Da li biste željeli saznati istinu?

If the answer is yes,

Ako je odgovor da,

you'd be choosing an option that sharply decreases your net pleasure.

znači da biste izabrali opciju koja bi jako smanjila vaše ukupno zadovoljstvo.

Perhaps, then, you believe that there are things in life

Onda vi vjerovatno vjerujete da neke stvari u životu

with greater intrinsic value than pleasure.

imaju veći značaj od zadovoljstva.

Truth, knowledge, authentic connection with other human beings.

Istina, znanje, autentična povezanost s drugim ljudima.

These are all things that might make the list.

Ovo su sve stvari koje bi mogle biti na listi.

By never learning the truth,

Da nikada ne sazna istinu,

Betsy is essentially living life in her own personal Experience Machine,

Betsi bi u suštini živjela u svojoj Mašini iskustva,

a world of happiness that's not based in reality.

svijetu sreće koja nije povezana sa realnošću.

This love triangle is an extreme example,

Ovaj ljubavni trougao je ekstreman primjer,

but it mirrors many of the decisions we make in day to day life.

ali ono reflektuje puno odluka koje donosimo svaki dan.

So whether you're making a choice for Betsy or for yourself,

Tako da, nebitno da li donosite odluku za Betsi ili za sebe

why might you feel reality should be a factor?

zašto bi trebali realnosti uzeti u obzir?

Is there inherent value in real experiences,

Da li postoji neki urođeni značaj u stvarnim iskustvima,

whether pleasurable or painful?

bila ona ugodna ili bolna?

Do you yourself have more value

Da li više cijenite

when you're experiencing real life's pleasures and pains?

kada doživljavate zadovoljstva i bolove pravog života.

Nozick's experiment may not provide all the answers,

Nozick-ov eksperiment možda ne daje sve odgovore,

but it forces us to consider whether real life, though imperfect,

ali nas tjera da uzmemo u obzir da pravi život, iako nesavršen,

holds some intrinsic value beyond the pleasure of plugging in.

nosi sa sobom neke suštinske vrijednosti koje su iznad zadovoljstva na koje se možete priključiti.