The Perfect Virtual Life — The Experience Machine

Debate Topic: When a virtual system can provide an absolutely realistic and supremely blissful life, should a person choose to permanently connect to the machine rather than live an ordinary life in objective reality? Scenario: Thirty-year-old Xiao Chen is an ordinary convenience store clerk. He lives a monotonous life day after day with a meager salary, occasionally enduring the刁难 (diāonán - unreasonable demands) of difficult customers, the suffering of illness, and the failures of romantic relationships. One day, a cutting-edge tech company selected Xiao Chen and handed him a black entry chip. The company has developed a fully enclosed "Dream Life Support Pod." By lying down, plugging in the electrodes, the system will directly stimulate his brain, creating a tailor-made, incredibly brilliant, and perfect virtual life for him: inside, he will become a respected successful entrepreneur, have a loving partner by his side, and live each day feeling fulfilled, confident, and happy. About the "Dream Life Support Pod": • 100% Realistic Once inside, he will completely forget it's a machine and won't feel the slightest bit of falsehood. • Never Wake Up The machine's life support system is extremely stable, guaranteeing he can live in blissful enjoyment for his entire life. However, once activated, there is no possibility of changing his mind and returning to reality. Question: If the happiness you feel in the machine is exactly the same as real happiness, and you will never wake up, does "whether the world is real" still matter to your happiness?