Imagine you were given a choice, to continue living your life, or to plug in to a machine that would give you a simulation of the perfect life. I definitely wouldn’t, although according to Paul Bloom, increasing numbers of his students would. (Why?)

A more powerful version of the same thought experiment is this. Imagine you awoke in a laboratory, and realized that you were plugged into an experience machine this whole time. Everyone you love, everything you do, all of your projects and dreams are all fake. Would you plug back in?