What is a thought experiment in philosophy?

A thought experiment is an imaginary scenario used to test hypotheses, theories, or arguments when actual experiments are too difficult, impossible, or unethical to perform. These abstract hypotheticals help philosophers and scientists examine consequences and probe our intuitions about fundamental questions regarding morality, meaning, and reality.

What we know

• A thought experiment is an imaginary scenario meant to elucidate or test an argument or theory. [2]
• Thought experiments are often employed when an experiment would be hard, impossible, or unethical to actually perform. [2]
• They can serve as abstract hypotheticals designed to test our intuitions about morality or other fundamental philosophical questions. [2]
• Philosophers use thought experiments to think through the consequences of a hypothesis, theory, or principle. [1, 4]

Where to go next

• a case in pointWhat was Hilary Putnam's Twin Earth argument?
• the bigger pictureHow does human thought work across disciplines?
• how it workedHow do hypothetical scenarios test semantic externalism?
• how we knowWhat are the classic thought experiments in philosophy?
• an unexpected connectionWhat is the Blockhead computer argument?

Sources

• [1]thought experiment (Wikidata Q147027) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Thought experiment · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Blockhead (thought experiment) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Thought · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Twin Earth thought experiment · CC BY-SA 4.0