{"id":50714,"date":"2021-09-24T15:12:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-24T19:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=50714"},"modified":"2026-01-22T17:32:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T21:32:32","slug":"philosophical-thought-experiments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/philosophical-thought-experiments\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Play With Philosophical Thought Experiments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Have you ever conducted philosophical thought experiments? How can they help you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/steps-to-achieve-your-goals\/\">reach your goals<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Philosophers aren&#8217;t the only ones who use thought experiments. Anyone who has a big task to undertake or a huge goal to reach can play with thought experiments. Think of them as a form of unstructured play that can unleash your curiosity and creativity, pushing you toward new ways of thinking and doing things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to learn how to use philosophical thought experiments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-playing-with-philosophical-thought-experiments\">Playing With Philosophical Thought Experiments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to author and former rocket scientist Ozan Varol, achieving seemingly impossible goals requires unrestrained creative thinking. To spark that creativity, Varol recommends using philosophical thought experiments. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/possibility-thinking\/\">thought experiment<\/a> is an imaginary scenario you create in your mind in order to think through an idea, often in the form of a hypothetical question. For example, in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/thinking-fast-and-slow\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Thinking, Fast and Slow<\/em><\/a>, Daniel Kahneman proposes the thought experiment: What if Hitler had been born female? (Shortform note: Varol classifies thought experiments as tools for creativity, but that\u2019s not their only application: <a href=\"https:\/\/plato.stanford.edu\/entries\/thought-experiment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">They can also be used purely for fun or as an educational tool<\/a> to get students thinking in new ways.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Varol doesn\u2019t recommend any specific thought experiments because the questions you ask should be unique to you and your areas of interest (for example, if you\u2019re in healthcare, you might ask, \u201cWhat would happen if we replaced human doctors with AI?\u201d) Instead of following a specific formula, Varol recommends thinking of thought experiments as a form of unstructured play. Play is a valuable enterprise: It\u2019s purposeless by definition, but that doesn\u2019t make it useless. If you spend more time mentally playing by asking asking \u201cWhy?\u201d and \u201cWhat would happen if\u2026?\u201d, you may just stumble on a solution that puts your seemingly impossible dream within practical reach. (Shortform note: In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-gifts-of-imperfection\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>The Gifts of Imperfection<\/em><\/a>, author and researcher Bren\u00e9 Brown argues that play is more than just a helpful tool for creativity: It is literally essential to human happiness.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, according to Varol, the modern world discourages curiosity. Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It\u2019s fundamentally disruptive to the status quo.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It requires admitting that we don\u2019t have all the answers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It doesn\u2019t promote efficiency (which is all about answers, not questions).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, many of us gradually lose that childlike curiosity as we age. Varol argues that schools play a part in this because the American school system is designed to produce workers, not thinkers. (Shortform note: Many historians agree that <a href=\"https:\/\/qz.com\/1314814\/universal-education-was-first-promoted-by-industrialists-who-wanted-docile-factory-workers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the traditional American education system was created in response to the industrial revolution<\/a>. Factories needed literate workers who could follow directions from authority figures, but pre-industrial workers were used to working on their own farms or in their own shops with little need to obey orders. Thus, schools as we know them sprang up as training centers to produce \u201cpunctual, docile, and sober\u201d factory workers rather than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/independent-thinkers\/\">independent thinkers<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-rocket-scientists-play-with-thought-experiments\">How Rocket Scientists Play With Thought Experiments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Varol notes that many famous scientists (like Einstein and Galileo) used philosophical thought experiments to drive their biggest discoveries. You may have heard of the famous \u201cSchr\u00f6dinger\u2019s Cat\u201d thought experiment, proposed by physicist Erwin Schr\u00f6dinger, in which a hypothetical cat is locked inside a box with a bottle of poison that will open at an unknown time. It\u2019s impossible to know when the poison will be released, which means it\u2019s impossible to know whether the cat is alive or dead without opening the box to check. Thus, the cat can be considered simultaneously alive and dead until the box is opened.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Varol describes how Schr\u00f6dinger created this thought experiment to illustrate logical flaws in the \u201cCopenhagen interpretation\u201d of quantum physics, which held that \u201csuperpositions\u201d (being in two states at once) were possible for quantum particles. The famous thought experiment poked holes in this theory by making it more concrete\u2014intuitively, we know a cat cannot be both alive <em>and <\/em>dead, so the idea of \u201csuperpositions\u201d must be similarly false.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Can We Actually Learn Anything From Thought Experiments?<\/strong><br><br><a href=\"https:\/\/aeon.co\/essays\/do-thought-experiments-really-uncover-new-scientific-truths\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Philosophers are torn on whether the sort of \u201cintuitive\u201d solution that the Schr\u00f6dinger\u2019s cat thought experiment produces actually counts as \u201cknowledge.\u201d<\/a> Some philosophers are Platonists (named for Plato): They believe that philosophical thought experiments can generate real knowledge the same way scientific experiments can. Thus, in their view, we can consider the conclusion of Schr\u00f6dinger\u2019s thought experiment\u2014that, intuitively, we know that just as a cat can\u2019t both be alive and dead, superpositions cannot be true\u2014knowledge, because the experiment doesn\u2019t have to take place in the observable, \u201creal\u201d world to be valid.<br><br>Other philosophers are empiricists: They believe that empirical experiments (using the scientific method) are the only way to generate new knowledge. In this view, all thought experiments can do is help us remember things we\u2019ve previously learned by observing the physical world. Thus, in their view, we <em>can\u2019t <\/em>consider Schr\u00f6dinger\u2019s conclusion accepted knowledge, since he hasn\u2019t definitively <em>observed <\/em>that a cat cannot be alive and dead (or that superpositions don\u2019t exist)\u2014the experiment took place in his head, rather than the (observable) real world.<br><br>Varol doesn\u2019t take an explicit stand on this debate, but we can infer that he believes in taking the best of both worlds: Use thought experiments to come up with new ideas, then test them in the real world to see how they hold up. We\u2019ll learn more about how to test ideas in Principle 7.\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-you-can-play-with-thought-experiments\">How You Can Play With Thought Experiments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are Varol\u2019s top tips for using philosophical thought experiments to spark your imagination:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1) Imagine yourself as a six- or seven-year-old child.<\/strong> You have no responsibilities, no bills to pay\u2014your only job is to play and imagine. In those circumstances, where would your mind naturally wander? Remember, it\u2019s all just play\u2014you don\u2019t have to commit to or implement anything you come up with during a thought experiment. There are no stakes. (Shortform note: Letting your mind wander like this may seem a bit pointless, especially if you\u2019re not going to implement the ideas you devise. However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/essentialism\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Essentialism<\/em><\/a> author Greg McKeown argues that unfocused play is an essential precursor to creativity. Put differently, you simply cannot come up with new ideas unless you take the time to play.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2)<\/strong> <strong>Let yourself feel bored. <\/strong>Varol argues that boredom is important and endangered. It gives the mind enough rest and space to expand and make new connections that it can\u2019t make while distracted or laser-focused on a problem. To give yourself space for boredom (and, subsequently, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/society-culture\/arts\/creative-inspiration\/\">creative inspiration<\/a>) to kick in, try taking a shower, going for a walk, or spending time daydreaming. (Shortform note: Allowing yourself to feel boredom can be difficult because we\u2019ve conditioned ourselves to expect constant entertainment through technology. As Cal Newport argues in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/deep-work\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Deep Work<\/em><\/a>, ubiquitous technology has literally rewired our brains to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/addicted-to-distraction\/\">addicted to distraction<\/a>.)\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3) Try combinatory play<\/strong>\u2014the act of combining dissimilar things. Combinatory play is important for creativity. For this reason, many successful people dabble in diverse fields in order to help them <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/develop-ideas\/\">develop ideas<\/a> in their primary field. For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/pixar-founder\/\">Pixar co-founder<\/a> Ed Catmull set up a program called \u201cPixar University,\u201d in which employees can take classes in subjects like sculpting and juggling.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To take advantage of combinatory play, collect insight and experiences from as many different fields as possible. Read books and watch films about subjects well outside your area of expertise. Try taking a class in or attending a conference on a new subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Combinatory Play Lowers the Stakes<\/strong><br><br>Varol doesn\u2019t touch on another reason combinatory play is so powerful: <a href=\"https:\/\/alyjuma.com\/combinatory-play\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">It lowers the stakes<\/a>. When you work within your own area of expertise, you may feel extra pressure to succeed\u2014however, when you work on something outside your area of expertise, no one expects you to perform well. That way, you can take the pressure off yourself to come up with an earth-shattering idea, which frees your mind to pursue innovative solutions for their own sake.<br><br>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/creativity-inc\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Creativity, Inc.<\/em><\/a>, Catmull describes how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/pixar-university\/\">Pixar University<\/a> classes take advantage of these lowered stakes to promote <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/importance-of-team-bonding\/\">team bonding<\/a>. Employees in these classes are trying something outside their usual field, so they\u2019re all automatically beginners. This allows employees to transcend the usual hierarchy and create social bonds with people they may not otherwise interact with in the company.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Philosophical thought experiments could be just the thing to unlock your creativity and help you reach your goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever conducted philosophical thought experiments? How can they help you reach your goals? Philosophers aren&#8217;t the only ones who use thought experiments. Anyone who has a big task to undertake or a huge goal to reach can play with thought experiments. Think of them as a form of unstructured play that can unleash your curiosity and creativity, pushing you toward new ways of thinking and doing things. Keep reading to learn how to use philosophical thought experiments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":50717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[104,43,30],"tags":[510],"class_list":["post-50714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing","category-self-improvement","category-work","tag-think-like-a-rocket-scientist","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Play With Philosophical Thought Experiments - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you struggling with a mental block? 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