Introduction

Aaron Fassa: I don't claim any originality to the thought experiment. It was an idea that I actually saw for the first time in a video game many years ago with Technobabylon. The idea is that this could also include historical figures like Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, Nelson Mandela and Gandhi. They're not aware of their environment, let alone aware that they are themselves any sort of being. And then the thought experiment says, all right, now that you've conceived what these sorts of entities are, imagine that you were to open a restaurant where you want to merge them with a culinary experience.