On a charitable reading of Parfit, the ‘muzak and potatoes’ expression is meant to pick out the kind of phenomenal experience associated with the “drab existence” he wants to communicate to the reader. So he is not asking you to imagine a life where you do nothing but listen to muzak and eat potatoes. Instead, he is asking you to consider how it typically feels like to listen to muzak and eat potatoes, and to then imagine a life that feels like that, all the time.
Ah well fair enough that makes a lot of sense. I think he could have worded it a bit better, although judging by your upvotes I probably just missed the point!
Having said that I still think it’s quite natural to consider a life where it feels like you’re eating muzak and potatoes all the time to be very boring, which of course would be a mistake given that such a life is supposed to be entirely painless.
Indeed I don’t think it helps that Parfit calls it a “drab existence”. “Drab” is a negative word, but Parfit’s “drab existence” is actually supposed to be completely lacking in anything negative.
On a charitable reading of Parfit, the ‘muzak and potatoes’ expression is meant to pick out the kind of phenomenal experience associated with the “drab existence” he wants to communicate to the reader. So he is not asking you to imagine a life where you do nothing but listen to muzak and eat potatoes. Instead, he is asking you to consider how it typically feels like to listen to muzak and eat potatoes, and to then imagine a life that feels like that, all the time.
I always found this very confusing. Potatoes are one of my favourite foods!
I was thinking the same! I had to google Muzak, but that also seems like pretty nice music to me.
Very good point!
Ah well fair enough that makes a lot of sense. I think he could have worded it a bit better, although judging by your upvotes I probably just missed the point!
Having said that I still think it’s quite natural to consider a life where it feels like you’re eating muzak and potatoes all the time to be very boring, which of course would be a mistake given that such a life is supposed to be entirely painless.
Indeed I don’t think it helps that Parfit calls it a “drab existence”. “Drab” is a negative word, but Parfit’s “drab existence” is actually supposed to be completely lacking in anything negative.