The Experience Machine is a thought experiment by philosopher Robert Nozick. It asks you to imagine a special machine that lets you live any life you want—being a hero, a superstar, or always happy. It feels 100% real, but none of it is actually happening.
This idea challenges something called hedonism, which is the belief that the most important thing in life is feeling good or having pleasure. Nozick says, if hedonism were true, then everyone should want to plug into the machine forever. But most people don’t.
Why? Because we care about more than just feeling good—we want our lives to be real, our choices to matter (autonomy), and our actions to be genuine (authenticity). The machine can give you good feelings, but not a real life.
Nozick uses this idea to show that a good life needs more than just happy experiences—it needs truth, real connections, and actual achievements. So, the Experience Machine helps us think about what truly makes life meaningful, not just what makes it feel good.