Acting in accordance with one’s own thought is unarguably a difficult thing to do. We will find our lives to be more often than not a representation or reflection of the soul’s activity. Therefore, several groups have formed ideas on how to integrate the soul’s activity to match our ultimately seeked ends. Aristotle argues that eudaimonia, loosely translated as human flourishing, is the final end of all beings. His idea of human flourishing is based on balancing the human soul which will in turn light the way towards happiness.
Anger, for example is usually interpreted as a vice that most people would choose to avoid. However, Aristotle argues that having bad temper is as harmful as having no temper at all. Hence a good temper, which is synonymous with patience, is a virtue. Virtue according to him is one of the founding members of an entity that will undoubtedly lead a soul towards happiness: arete. It is an entity that contains virtue, reason and and excellence, which create the term “moral virtue”. And so we have one way that explains the optimal “activity of the soul” that leads to the one end everyone so desperately wants.
Yet even Aristotle can be criticized for his views. Hedonists, whose principles are based on the idea that pleasure is the most dominant and significant good of human life, would argue otherwise. Which brings us to the main idea. The Experience Machine is a thought experiment that was explained by a contemporary philosopher in the 20th century, where he presents a dilemma for hedonists. If we have an error-free machine that provokes the same feelings of pleasure once we plug ourselves into it, would we continually attach ourselves to this machine, or would we attempt to live our own lives in search for pleasure, which is only a machine away?
Choosing the latter option, which is living our own lives, doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re standing out with your choice. In fact, most people will do the same thing. The real question is why would you go with the option that you picked? What are the other things that are unique to your own soul, that have pushed you towards forgoing an automatic and continuous feeling of pleasure?
There are some clear arguments that advocate against the machine. Doing specific things instead of just having the experience or the false thought of doing them is one that would’ve surely been on everyone’s mind. Why do you want to physically do that specific thing instead of having the experience of it? Understanding the reasons will show you other “human goods” or feelings that you could be seeking. Another argument would be not wanting to be stuck in a man-made reality, which essentially ties back into the first argument of wanting to actually do these things instead of simply getting the end result.
When you explicitly find out the things that have convinced you to live your life rather than surrender to eternal pleasure, then you will have a clearer view of what you’re really after, and the things that flourish your soul, albeit not necessarily related to pleasure.
