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

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Mile Živković

Imagine if you could plug your brain into a machine

Zamislite da možete da priključite svoj mozak na mašinu

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

koja bi vam obezbedila vrhunsko uživanje do kraja vašeg života.

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

Ukoliko biste imali izbor da se prijavite za takav vid postojanja, da li biste?

That's the question philosopher Robert Nozick posed

To pitanje je postavio filozof Robert Nozik

through a thought experiment he called the Experience Machine.

kroz misaoni eksperiment koji je nazvao "Mašinom za iskustva".

The experiment asks us to consider a world

Eksperiment od nas traži da razmotrimo svet

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

u kome su naučnici razvili mašinu koja bi simulirala stvarni život,

while guaranteeing experiences of only pleasure and never pain.

garantujući nam jedino iskustva zadovoljstva, nikada boli.

The catch?

Kvaka?

You have to permanently leave reality behind,

Morate zauvek da ostavite stvarnost za sobom,

but you'll hardly know the difference.

ali teško da ćete primetiti razliku.

Your experiences will be indistinguishable from reality.

Vaša iskustva će se jedva razlikovati od stvarnosti.

Life's natural ups and downs

Životni prirodni usponi i padovi

will just be replaced with an endless series of ups.

će prosto biti zamenjeni beskrajnim nizom uspona.

Sounds great, right?

Zvuči sjajno, zar ne?

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

Može da se čini kao privlačna ponuda, ali možda i nije tako idealno kako zvuči.

The experiment was actually designed to refute a philosophical notion

Eksperiment je zapravo osmišljen da bi opovrgao filozofsko stanovište

called hedonism.

zvano hedonizam.

According to hedonists,

Prema hedonistima,

maximizing net pleasure is the most important thing in life

dovođenje čistog zadovoljstva do maksimuma je najvažnija stvar u životu

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

jer je zadovoljstvo najveće dobro koje život ima da ponudi.

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

Za hedoniste, najbolji izbor koji osoba može da napravi za sebe

is one that brings him the greatest possible amount of pleasure

je onaj koji joj donosi najveću moguću količinu zadovoljstva,

while bringing him no pain.

a za uzvrat joj ne nanosi bol.

Limitless pleasure minus zero pain equals maximum net pleasure,

Neograničeno zadovoljstvo minus nula bola jednako je maksimumu čistog zadovoljstva,

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

ili, drugim rečima, upravo onaj scenario koji nudi mašina za iskustva.

Therefore, if hedonism is your philosophy of choice,

Stoga, ukoliko je hedonizam vaša životna filozofija,

plugging in would be a no-brainer.

nećete dva puta razmisliti o priključivanju na mašinu.

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

Međutim, šta ako je život značajniji od pukog zadovoljstva?

That's what Nozick believed he was demonstrating

Nozik je verovao da upravo to pokazuje

through his Experience Machine thought experiment.

kroz misaoni eksperiment "Mašina za iskustva".

Despite the machine's promise of maximum net pleasure,

Uprkos obećanju mašine o maksimalnom čistom zadovoljstvu,

he still found reason not to plug in,

on je i dalje nalazio razloge da se ne priključi,

as do many other experimenters who consider the proposition.

kao i mnogi drugi koji učestvuju u eksperimentu razmatranja ove mogućnosti.

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

Šta bi nas moglo odvratiti od izbora vrhunskog zadovoljstva u budućnosti?

Consider this scenario.

Razmotrite sledeći scenario.

Betsy and Xander are in a loving, committed relationship.

Betsi i Zander su u prisnoj, posvećenoj vezi.

Betsy is head over heels and has never felt happier.

Betsi je do ušiju zaljubljena i nikada nije bila srećnija.

However, unbeknownst to Betsy,

Međutim, iza Betsinih leđa,

Xander has been romancing her sister, Angelica,

Zander ima romansu sa njenom sestrom Anđelikom,

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

sa sve ljubavnim pismima, tajnim sastancima, sve vreme njihove veze.

If Betsy found out,

Ako bi Betsi saznala,

it would destroy her relationships with both Xander and Angelica,

to bi uništilo njenu vezu i sa Zanderom i sa Anđelikom,

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

a iskustvo bi bilo toliko traumatično da ona nikad ne bi volela opet.

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

Kako je Betsi u blaženom neznanju o Zanderovom neverstvu,

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

hedonisti bi rekli kako joj je bolje da ostane u neznanju

and maintaining her high level of net pleasure.

i da zadrži visok nivo čistog zadovoljstva.

As long as Betsy never finds out about the relationship,

Sve dok Betsi nikad ne otkrije vezu,

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

njen život će zasigurno da se odvija srećno kao i do sad.

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

Dakle, ima li Betsino poznavanje sopstvene situacije vrednost?

Imagine if you were Betsy.

Zamislite da ste Betsi.

Would you prefer to know the truth?

Da li biste više voleli da znate istinu?

If the answer is yes,

Ako je odgovor da,

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

izabrali biste opciju koja naglo smanjuje vaše čisto zadovoljstvo.

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

Možda stoga verujete da postoje stvari u životu

with greater intrinsic value than pleasure.

koje suštinski vrede više od zadovoljstva.

Truth, knowledge, authentic connection with other human beings.

Istina, znanje, istinska povezanost s drugim ljudskim bićima.

These are all things that might make the list.

Sve su to stvari koje bi se mogle naći na spisku.

By never learning the truth,

Ako nikada ne otkrije istinu,

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

Betsi u suštini živi život unutar sopstvene mašine za iskustva,

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

u bezbrižnom svetu koji nema uporište u stvarnosti.

This love triangle is an extreme example,

Ovaj ljubavni trougao je ekstreman primer,

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

ali u njemu se ogledaju mnoge odluke koje pravimo u svakodnevnom životu.

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

Zato, bilo da pravite izbor za Betsi ili za sebe,

why might you feel reality should be a factor?

zašto biste osećali da bi stvarnost trebalo da bude faktor?

Is there inherent value in real experiences,

Da li stvarno iskustvo ima suštinsku vrednost,

whether pleasurable or painful?

bilo ono prijatno ili bolno?

Do you yourself have more value

Da li vi sami više vredite

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

kada proživljavate zadovoljstva i boli stvarnog sveta?

Nozick's experiment may not provide all the answers,

Nozikov eksperiment možda ne nudi sve odgovore,

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

ali nas tera na razmišljanje da li stvarni život, iako nesavršen,

holds some intrinsic value beyond the pleasure of plugging in.

sadrži neke suštinske vrednosti mimo zadovoljstva koje nudi mašina.