Philipa Foot

 Philipa Foot

Philipa Foot was a philosopher who posed a few hypothetical dilemmas. She asked philosophically if a life that was essentially fake was better than a real life. She posed the scenario of an individual who is hooked up to a virtual reality screen and is able to have a fake life that allows for all the comforts, amenities, and luxuries without any difficulties, struggles, or worries. Would a fake life that had no hardship, no adversity, and no obstacles be better than a real life that could even include hardship, adversity, and difficulties?

Philipa Foot made this philosophical question in the past century. I became aware of the philosophical question in Ethics class. The resounding answer from most students was that a life that was authentic and real even with hardship and obstacles was better and preferred to an easy life that was fake, without hardship, and included all the luxuries. There is the question of how can a life that is difficult and can include struggles be better than an easy life?

Foot made the question so that individuals could reason if a real life is better than an artificial and fake life even with all the luxuries, no struggles, and no need to better oneself. The philosophical argument describes that an easy life would not be better if it was fake. This is because people prefer what is real to what is fake. (This was also described in the movie Matrix where one of the villains betrays Neo and the good rebels for an easy life.) The resounding answer is that individuals prefer what is real to what is fake.

This was further confirmed with the hypothetical example of an individual who has the option to receive a lobotomy. A lobotomy is the removal of the frontal cortex and results in happiness yet decreased autonomy and responsibility. Again, most individuals have described that it is better to persevere without a lobotomy than to take a lobotomy. This is because autonomy and responsibility are preferred to fake happiness. This is important because it describes that true happiness exists when there is responsibility and authenticity. Even comparing to an easy life without responsibilities and full of luxuries, individuals prefer truth and the things that are real. This understanding was interesting because it denoted that life has meaning and purpose even under adversity and having struggles. Viktor E. Frankl's logotherapy also describes how life has meaning and purpose despite adversity.