With the recording of season two now about to wrap, I turn my attention to season three. I want to do something that will be challenging both for myself and you my audience. there are so many different ideas I had on this. We could look and some of the basic questions asked in philosophy. Maybe we seek a deeper connection between psychology and philosophy. Maybe I completely change it up and start a true crime podcast. (Nope that one sucks!) I GOT IT! Let's explore what is known as philosophical thought experiments.
If like me you are a complete novice when it comes to philosophy you might be asking yourself, "What on Earth is a 'philosophical thought experiment'?" Do I mean I am just going to record myself and maybe another person just thinking? Maybe, would you listen to that? It would just be 30-45 minutes of dead air with the occasional "Hum, maybe!" Yeah not very entertaining to listen to.
Here is quick definition from Wikipedia.
"In philosophy, a thought experiment typically presents an imagined scenario with the intention of eliciting an intuitive or reasoned response about the way things are in the thought experiment. (Philosophers might also supplement their thought experiments with theoretical reasoning designed to support the desired intuitive response.) The scenario will typically be designed to target a philosophical notion, such as morality, or the nature of the mind or linguistic reference. The response to the imagined scenario is supposed to tell us about the nature of that notion in any scenario, real or imagined."
So, what does that mean? Let's take a moment and explore. Follow for a second, if train A leaves the station at 7:12 am going 60 mph and train B... no wait a minute wrong thought experiment. Let's try something else I promise we won't do math right now.
How about this one called "The Prisoner's Dilemma". Here is the idea form the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
"Tanya and Cinque have been arrested for robbing the Hibernia Savings Bank and placed in separate isolation cells. Both care much more about their personal freedom than about the welfare of their accomplice. A clever prosecutor makes the following offer to each. “You may choose to confess or remain silent. If you confess and your accomplice remains silent, I will drop all charges against you and use your testimony to ensure that your accomplice does serious time. Likewise, if your accomplice confesses while you remain silent, they will go free while you do the time. If you both confess, I get two convictions, but I'll see to it that you both get early parole. If you both remain silent, I'll have to settle for token sentences on firearms possession charges. If you wish to confess, you must leave a note with the jailer before my return tomorrow morning."
As you can see there is not a straightforward, definite answer. This one is designed to call into question our ethics and the struggle between individual and the group.
There are so many more of these thought experiments out there. As I explore them, I find the fascinating to contemplate. We are forced to really examine our beliefs, ideas, and morals. We must be able to reason out why or why not we would behave in a certain way. Or we must, through reason, prove that our thoughts are justified, as in the Ship of Theseus. Which is my favorite one to think through.
If you choose to take this to another person and work them through together it adds a whole new challenge. the other person will bring thing to it we might have never thought. They might even make you question your own ability to reason. A quick side note on this, if you don't have a strong marriage, I would not recommend having a conversation with your spouse on any of these. Trust me, I tried, and it turned ugly and we both came to different conclusions and are dead sue the other is wrong!
It is my hope that as we enter season two and start to explore some of these that you all will find them as enjoyable and challenging as I do. That you will enter each episode with an open mind and a willingness to dive deeper into your own concept of the world around you. If nothing else I just don't want to lose any of you who hear the first one and find this crazy or my take way off base. Cut me some slack, I am still learning and working these through.