Robert had been sitting in front of the consent form for two hours and ?still he did not know whether to sign it or shred it.? His choice was ?between two futures. In one, his prospe

Requirements 1-2 pages make sure to cite work

• Answer the question at the end of the following,

Question:   Robert had been sitting in front of the consent form for two hours and  still he did not know whether to sign it or shred it.  His choice was  between two futures.

In one, his prospects were bleak and the chances of realizing his  dreams slim.  In the other, he would be a famous rock star guaranteed to  be kept permanently happy.  Not much of a choice, you might think.  But  whereas the first life would be in the real world, the second would be  entirely within an ‘experience machine.’

This device enables you to live the whole of your life in a  virtual-reality environment.  All your experiences are designed to make  you happier and more satisfied.  But crucially, once in the machine you  have no idea that you are not in the real world, nor that what is  happening to you has been designed to meet your needs.  It seems you are  living an ordinary life in the ordinary world:  it is just that in this  life, you are one of those for whom everything seems to go right.

Robert knows that once his is in the machine, life will be great.   But still, something about its phoniness makes him hesitate to sign the  form that will take him to paradise.

• Consider the ethical theories/ideas we’ve studied so far, particularly Utilitarian ethics 
  1. you can draw distinctions between ‘act utilitarianism,’ ‘rule  utilitarianism,’ ‘indirect utilitarianism,’ and so-on if you feel  they’re important to answering the question.
• Consider counter-arguments to your position. Why might a Utilitarian  disagree with you (even if you’ve staked out a Utilitarian position),  why might other philosophers – even your classmates have come to  different conclusions?
• Conclude by explaining why you think that your position is stronger  that the counter-arguments you’ve considered…or explain why you have  been swayed to change your initial position.