Wireheading: The Conundrum of Uber-Hedonism & Simulated Bliss
Imagine, for one second, the ultimate bliss.
Ecstasy + that first kiss + the climax of your favorite song + winning the lottery + your best orgasm ever * 1,000,000,000.
Pleasure so fantastic that is almost hurts.
What if you could experience that 24/7 and never get bored with it?
Enter wireheading, a term coined by author Larry Niven for implanting a chip in the brain which constantly stimulates the pleasure center, yielding pleasure as described above. Sounds like science-fiction, no? Not completely.
In his essay “Physical Control of the Mind”, José M. R. Delgado, M.D. wrote:
“Studies in human subjects with implanted electrodes have demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the depth of the brain can induce pleasurable manifestations, as evidenced by the spontaneous verbal reports of patients, their facial expression and general behavior, and their desire to repeat the experience.”
Electrically stimulating some regions, eg. the mesolimbic dopamine system, results in extreme pleasure. This pleasure is said to be beyond that of food, drugs or sex. It is pure pleasure — something that the human body cannot ever tire of. Where as objects of desire grow less pleasurable as they are attained more often, the actual sensation of pleasure knows no bounds.
Here’s one more example to really nail in how amazing this feeling would be. There was a more extreme study in which lab rats could press a button to stimulate their own pleasure centers. The rats would forgo food and water and continue to press the button until they died of malnutrition. It’s a feeling that makes survival a secondary goal. Think about that for a second.
The Conundrum
Let’s take one step back: would you want this?
The image of one’s self being hotwired to blindly feel out-of-this-world happiness sounds a little too Brave New World-ey at first thought. What would happen to relationships, family, jobs and all other aspects of ‘normal’ human society?
Let’s take one more step back: why do we value those things in the first place? Why does renouncing ‘the daily struggle’ for endless bliss immediately sound so wrong, so unethical… so inhuman? On a very basic level, all of our actions are motivated by hedonism anyways, so why not skip ahead to the ultimate form of hedonism?
In answering these questions, wireheading offers a unique way to ponder the meaning of life and the means for attaining that meaning.
I have yet to come up with a solid opinion on this so I’m interested to hear your thoughts in the Official Wireheading Discussion
If you’re interested in further musings on wireheading, check out the extremely informative and thought-provoking Wireheading.com.
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andrew stern said on 08.01.2009
Very nice.
Ty said on 11.01.2011
I would think there would be serious physical and psychological consequences in doing this indefinitely, so that provides an obvious problem. I don’t think the feeling would be much different than shooting heroin, which I have heard the high of described in much the same way. People would probably become addicted to the ecstasy, much like the dreamers at the apothecary in Inception, who spend there time dreaming because they prefer it to reality.
The ultimate question is, even if this option drastically interferes with the functioning of society and order, would that even be a bad thing? As you have already asked. It can be very hard to find a logical purpose for living our lives the way most people do in our society, so I can see how people could justify it. I can’t immediately take either side, thought I don’t believe it is necessary for happiness.
But I think what this question really does is force us to re-think the way we think about heroin addicts. If the high is really as incredibly joyful as they say it is, might it be worth the real world consequences one endures in order to repeatedly access the feeling? We look at them as failures or tragic characters, but in reality, maybe they are experiencing unbridled joy and happiness, while we go on with our miserable lives and scoff at them like fools.
TheSkaFish said on 11.28.2011
@Ty I could see myself getting hooked on this, as well as the dreaming like in Inception as you said. I already sleep too much for exactly this reason, because when I sleep I might have fantastic dreams, or at least I am at peace. Staying awake I am just reminded of good times gone, chances blown and of all the bullshit that adds up to drive me crazy.
Jimelle said on 11.02.2011
Wow. In theory, it would be grand to be that happy all the time. I mean, we all want to be happy, right? However, those first four sentences up there made me think, “That would be exhausting!”
I think I would get bored. The fun in life comes from figuring it all out. Think about the great movies – there’s all the tension of different characters, various emotions, and problems to solve. We get drawn into the drama of life because we care about how things will eventually turn out. Compare that to wireheading, where we know and don’t have to care how it would all turn out: we’ll be happy.
Stepping waaay back, I think it would mean the death of us as humans. Like the butterfly (my totem animal) – no struggle/no strength.
Joris said on 11.02.2011
damn, I envision ghetto’s getting filled with people just pressing a button, which would activate this thing, drooling all over themselves and lazy as fuck
Bryan Hellard said on 11.02.2011
But…. You wouldnt get tired of this. Not until your brain gets burned out. It will always give you the maximum amount of pleasure.
Alex Eastman said on 11.02.2011
I would never do this. Ever. It is just wrong, this would literally ruin the meaning of life, because the only true thing we strive for in life is happiness and pleasure *IMO* and when you can just click a button and get this, it ruins all of it.
ciaran said on 11.03.2011
@Alex Eastman – The journey is often far more important than the destination.
Antonio Oscar Silva said on 11.03.2011
I real think never going to work for the most persons in the world: who have came up with such chip idea; he must be won the moods for such. Nature gives marvelous ways of having good life: but human beings are stupid, even the ones think they knowing everything, which we call them, Intellectuals. The bigger problem about human brain is greed: avaricious and so on. When you do not have: always want: than when you have to much, get frustrated. You mention about sex fine: but just example, many man looking for woman so strong he could get nuts, but when a chance come, and have many of it, he go crazy. The man working on hair dressing: or with designing dresses for woman, he may go bananas. Mow the question! Why the most of them come into be gay? The same for delicious food, like a fantastic chocolate cake, than do not take too long, humans cannot eat any more cakes, yes could be temporary, but could be for so long from the point of days, weeks and months. How about this one! A man could be thinking a lots about his wife: or girl friend for weeks,, because didn’t see her for long time sex picture getting bright. Eventual he goes home: have dinner and do not stop starring his wife, Semmes like already having fun, than goes to bed, jumps in the pool and get wet to fast, just floating hideout even swimming gets tired and follow a sleep. Maybe this is not for everyone: but the majority is, and why? I know but you guess ok Human brain are the most complexes of anything like wondered of marvelous for the ones do not want to think anymore, A.Oscar
S\'ebuxin said on 11.03.2011
@Alex Eastman
So our goal is attained. Humans have achieved eternal happiness. Why should we trap ourselves in an eternal struggle when we have what we want already?
And if we don’t trap ourselves in our ‘purpose’, should we move on and create a new reason to live or just wane in our bliss?
Chris said on 11.04.2011
Reminds me of the movie Zenith. For anybody who hasn’t seen it, I highly recommend this thinker of a movie.
Abraham Alcaraz said on 11.04.2011
Humane way to euthanize? However I cant help but wonder how many people would turn the same as the mice, and choose pleasure over any goal in life. Yea like ciaran said “The journey is often far more important than the destination.” but i don’t know if I’m just too much of a cynic but from my experience in life, too many people are short sighted and all i could possibly imagine if this where widely available world wide, is a lot of dead people with smiles on their faces.
Jo said on 11.13.2011
My simple response to this is taken from the beautiful film Into The Wild…”Happiness is only real if it is shared”
richard <3explore said on 11.20.2011
you gotta find yourself inside the bliss man. embrace it. what makes other emotions more meaningful than others?
Margarita said on 11.20.2011
Being in a constant state of ecstasy is i’m sure everyone’s dream. But let’s face it, after every high comes a low. It’s our body’s most natural way of telling us that balance is needed and will eventually work itself out whether you like it or not. This new idea is alarming and even though it sounds like something i would want to sign up for, i’d be extremely wary to try this because of the potential low of all lows that could follow.
Lunisol said on 12.11.2011
It is because of the negativity and pain that we feel in this world that makes pleasure so wonderful in the first place. Just as the Beauty of a flower comes solely from the fact that it may die tomorrow.