ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Simulation skepticism and student resistance to thought experiments

publication · 2026-06-18

A new essay in Hedgehog Review argues that students have low tolerance for philosophical thought experiments like Descartes's evil demon, which questions whether beliefs could be deceptions by a malevolent spirit. The piece suggests that only the most philosophically inclined engage with such fanciful hypotheses.

Key facts

  • Students have low tolerance for fanciful hypotheses and abstruse thought experiments.
  • Descartes's evil demon scenario is cited as an example of a thought experiment students resist.
  • The essay appears in Hedgehog Review's issue on humanism in a posthumanist age.
  • The piece is titled 'The Consolations of Simulation'.

Entities

Institutions

  • Hedgehog Review

Sources