Professor Lifton wrote the pioneering examination of the Communists' use of thought reform on coming to power in 1949, "Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of Chinese Brainwashing," first published in 1961.
Some philosophers reject the use of thought experiments in determining whether content is wide or narrow.
His case in favour of a critical and against an apologetic use of thought experiments is very limited.
The integrated information theory (IIT) starts from phenomenology and makes a critical use of thought experiments, to claim that consciousness is integrated information.
Nevertheless, these criteria are not foolproof, and we believe that they have, in practice, replaced the use of thought and prudence when designing and executing ancient DNA studies.
Nevertheless, good reasons have been given in favour of the use of thought experiments about personal identity (see Beck, 2006; Kolak, 1993; Hershenov, 2008).
That is to say: since the sciences, especially physics, and philosophy both make use of thought experiments, then, other things being equal, a unified account seems desirable.
Heated philosophical and theological disputes centre on unpacking the meaning of such descriptions, disputes that are often carried out with the use of thought experiments.
The most well-known arguments for externalism typically make use of thought-experiments in which physically identical individuals are embedded in different social or physical environments.
He appeals to authority and everyday observation ("experimentum" in Latin) and makes use of thought experiments and certain metaphysical assumptions, such as that "every operation of nature occurs in the most finite, ordered, shortest and best way possible for it" (Baur 1912, 75).
