#258 Mark Silcox: The Experience Machine, Simulation, and Videogames
RECORDED ON SEPTEMBER 17th, 2019.
Dr. Mark Silcox is a Professor and Chair of de Department of Humanities and Philosophy at the University of Central Oklahoma. He is the co-author (with Jon Cogburn) of Philosophy Through Video Games (Taylor & Francis, 2008) and their co-edited Open Court Volume Dungeons & Dragons and Philosophy: Raiding the Temple of Wisdom came out in late 2012. He is mainly interested in metaethics, aesthetics, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of games.
In this episode, we go through a number of topics in the philosophy of videogames and simulated reality. We first discuss the Robert Nozick’s experience machine thought experiment, and several of its philosophical implications, including the nature of reality, our experience of reality, hedonism, and reducing suffering in the world. We also talk about fearmongering surrounding advanced forms of AI, and fearing “black boxes”, and also how we constantly delegate decisions to other people whose decision-making processes we do not understand. We talk about social media, and what it means to have “fake relationships”. We then get into the philosophy of videogames, and we go through the ethics of worldbuilding; how people explore their personal identities through avatars and archetypes; and role-playing in videogames and real life.
Time Links:
Robert Nozick and the experience machine
Our relationship with reality
Epistemic questions the experience machine allows for us to explore
The experience machine, and the moral obligation of reducing suffering in the world
The issue with consent
Fearmongering surrounding AI
Social media, and “fake relationships”
The philosophy of worldbuilding in virtual worlds and videogames
Avatars, archetypes, and personal identity
Role-playing, in real life and in videogames
Advice for people who are averse to videogames
Follow Dr. Silcox’s work!
Follow Dr. Silcox’s work:
Faculty page: http://bit.ly/2kQOLhL
PhilPeople profile: http://bit.ly/2meSwxR
ResearchGate profile: http://bit.ly/2lVfeLv
Books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2mkPYhR
Philosophy Through Video Games: https://amzn.to/2khnuEW
Experience Machines: The Philosophy of Virtual Worlds: https://amzn.to/2lZT4HH
A Defense of Simulated Experience: New Noble Lies: https://amzn.to/2mgjrJD