A Vignette...

The group is due to discuss Robert Nozick’s thought experiment, The Experience Machine. But first, we have to picture our perfect life; participants are asked about this in turn:

Speaker 1 (Facilitator): Okay. So, Salia, what would you like in your ideal life? And not necessarily now, but you know, when you're fully adult...

Speaker 2 (Salia): Lots of weed.

Speaker 1 (Facilitator): Lots of weed. Thank you. Why?

Speaker 2 (Salia): So I don't run out.

Speaker 1 (Facilitator): Why? Why don't you want to run out of weed?

Speaker 2 (Salia): Because I don't like it when I run out of it.

Speaker 1 (Facilitator): Uh-huh…

Speaker 2 (Salia): I don't like it when I run out of weed.

Speaker 1 (Facilitator): Why don't you like it when you run out of weed?

Speaker 2 (Salia): It don't make me feel safe.

Speaker 1 (Facilitator): Okay. So... I mean, I think it's an interesting one, because don't forget, I've said to you, this isn't stuff that you necessarily want to work for. These are the ingredients of your ideal life.

Speaker 2 (Salia): Yeah.

Speaker 1 (Facilitator): And I suppose, seeing as you mentioned weed, I'm interested why you would need to get high in your perfect life.

Speaker 2 (Salia): Cuz it'll be, like, safe and fun.

Speaker 1 (Facilitator): Okay. So you'd want to be high all the time, even if you've got a perfect life?

Speaker 2 (Salia): Yeah. Okay, make it even more perfect. Literally. It's not perfect if I'm not high.

Speaker 1 (Facilitator): Yeah, I guess... I mean, I'm not judging. I guess I'm just not... not getting it… So I tend to think of being high as a way of coping with an imperfect life, and let's face it, all life is imperfect.

Speaker 2 (Salia): Especially this school.

Speaker 1 (Facilitator): Well, yeah. The fact that you have to go to any school might well be part of an imperfect life. But, yeah, I tend to think of getting high as a way of coping with life's difficulties, but maybe it's just purely pleasure. Although actually, you see, in this experience, in your perfect life, why don't you just want to be permanently high without having to smoke weed?

Speaker 2 (Salia): Cuz, cuz it's the smoking, it's the good part…

Speaker 1 (Facilitator): Hmm… the process? Like a tea ceremony… All right.... Anyway, I'll put it down.

Q&A continues…