Page "Thought experiment" Paragraph 59

The use of thought experiments in philosophy has received other criticisms, especially in the philosophy of mind.

Daniel Dennett has derisively referred to certain types of thought experiments such as the Chinese Room experiment as " intuition pumps ", claiming they are simply thinly veiled appeals to intuition which fail when carefully analyzed.

Another criticism that has been voiced is that some science fiction-type thought experiments are too wild to yield clear intuitions, or that any resulting intuitions could not possibly pertain to the real world.

Another criticism is that philosophers have used thought experiments ( and other a priori methods ) in areas where empirical science should be the primary method of discovery, as for example, with issues about the mind.