brain in vat
Philosophical thought experiment
A brain in a vat is a philosophical thought experiment imagining a disembodied brain kept alive in a jar, fed electrical signals that simulate normal experience.
The scenario tests whether we can know our perceptions correspond to reality—maybe you're a brain in a vat right now and can't tell.
The phrase appears in skeptical arguments and discussions of simulated reality: How do you know you're not just a brain in a vat?
- simulationImitation of real processes
- consciousnessState of sentient awareness
- realityWhat actually exists
- external worldReality beyond one's consciousness
- DescartesCogito ergo sum's author
evil demon · skepticism · illusion · matrix · red pill · mind · perception · sensory input · nerve impulses · electrodes · neurons · philosophy · dream · virtual · wires · thought experiment · solipsism · existence
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