Daniel Dennett Dissects a Bad Thought Experiment

Schrödinger’s cat. The prisoner’s dilemma. The trolley problem. These are brand names as much as they’re philosophical thought experiments. Philosopher Daniel Dennett explains the importance of concocting an attractive package in which to wrap your argument. At the same time, Dennett warns that this can backfire and, to demonstrate, he dissects one of his “favorite bad thought experiments,” an investigation of free will based on the sci-fi film “The Boys From Brazil.” Daniel Dennett is the author of “Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking.”

Daniel Dennett Dissects a Bad Thought Experiment