[2012-May-29] Perfect pleasure machine

[DuckReconMajor]

I've thought about this before. And my answer would be hell yes.

All of the things the guy uses to justify his initial choice are things that give us pleasure, a pleasure box would please these things.

Wanting to "glimpse the blinding light of truth" is a human concept.

Butt hay.

[Lethal Interjection]

The actual existence of such a machine would simply call into question the reason for not using it. The lows may make the highs higher, but if you actually have the option of stepping into complete happiness (highest of the highs), well then obviously you should take it, even if you have no basis for comparison once you are inside.

[ChaoticBrain]

The justifications for rejecting anything we want but can never have were only formulated in the first place because we need to kid ourselves into thinking that our lives are better off without it. If we accepted the cold, hard truth that our lives really would be improved by having all the things we wanted, we'd go insane with grief.

[Apocalyptus]

That's true, but there also is the fact that the human brain seems to have a default level of happiness. Stuff like becoming rich will make you happier for a little while, but the initial rush of better feeling doesn't last, and soon you feel just as happy (or unhappy) as before.
But if the machine took this into account and managed to find a solution, I probably would take the opportunity.

[Spaceguy5]

That's true, but there also is the fact that the human brain seems to have a default level of happiness. Stuff like becoming rich will make you happier for a little while, but the initial rush of better feeling doesn't last, and soon you feel just as happy (or unhappy) as before.
But if the machine took this into account and managed to find a solution, I probably would take the opportunity.

I couldn't take your comment seriously as I kept seeing your display picture while I was reading it.

[Apocalyptus]

Just as I planned. Excellent.

[JB]

The danger of such a perpetual-pleasure machine is that you might find yourself in 10 years being taken out of it, and then you'll be completely fucked. And since having any degree of awareness of the outside world would defeat the machine's function, there is no way to have credible assurance that you'll stay in the machine for any particular amount of time.

Since no amount of temporary pleasure is worth the risk of a later lifetime of being screwed, one should not enter the machine.

[DuckReconMajor]

Well yeah, that's why we don't all do heroin. But it said "as long as you live". It's a hypothetical question so usually there's no need for such implications.

That's true, but there also is the fact that the human brain seems to have a default level of happiness. Stuff like becoming rich will make you happier for a little while, but the initial rush of better feeling doesn't last, and soon you feel just as happy (or unhappy) as before.
But if the machine took this into account and managed to find a solution, I probably would take the opportunity.

To me, a "perfect pleasure" would be one you'd never get bored of.

[Oldrac the Chitinous]

I think that this discussion is going to boil down to "'perfect pleasure' is too nebulously defined for us to say anything meaningful about it."

[Lethal Interjection]

This is what I've been thinking of this entire discussion.
I love Stephen Merchant in this clip.

[TFG]

I'd just like to point out that while shrooms are awesome, and porn is awesome, combining them is fucking terrible.

[Sandwiches]

Exactly, these mushrooms have very poor ink retention, very difficult to print pornography on.

[DonRetrasado]

I generally avoid combining porn with any substance that makes my genitalia feel like they're dead.

[Guest]

Was I the only one who took "as long as you live" as "it will make you incredibly happy, then instantly kill you"? Because that would technically be as long as you live.

[ReidKamari]

Many people will be delighted with the pleasure machine but some might share different perspective. It could affect live of many people and most people would go now and buy it. I think such type of thing should not be invented.