Philosophy

State the overall conclusion you are lead to as a result of your thought experiment. This is essentially the end result of the experiment. There is no one right conclusion, but what matters is that whatever you say is supported by the reasoning.

Guidelines for doing this include, but are not limite to the following: Briefly state the Hypothesis To Be Tested. Scientists perform experiments in order test out specific hypotheses, and thought experiments do the same. Ask yourself: What claim will be decided (or at least illuminated) as a result of the thought experiment? What philosophical issues does this raise? This may not always be obvious, so I have left statements, questions, etc. at the top of the page to help. Scientific experiments are set up in order to ‘control’, isolate and understand a specific variable, and so too do thought experiments. What is the scenario trying to focus your attention on? To which, if any, real life situations is the hypothetical scenario analogous? A scientific experiment is a process that culminates in some sort of result, and so too do thought experiments. But, here, the result is up to you, typically in the form of what answer you would give to a question, what decision you would make, what position you take. What conclusion did YOU arrive at in the thought experiment? What line of reasoning lead you to your conclusion? This is the most important part of the whole thought experiment. Justify your conclusion. Now,consider whether your conclusion would change if modifications were made to the scenario. What information, if added, would alter your conclusiion. On the basis of this thought experiment, what position do you take on the initial hypothesis to be tested and/or any related issues in your mind. Explain what overall conclusions the thought process you have engaged in here lead you to.