About
Hi! I’m Nicole Forrester, and I love a good thought experiment.
Why this exists
An apporachable library of classical thought experiments didn’t exist. Everything out there was academic papers and dense Wikipedia articles that made the most interesting questions in philosophy feel like homework. So I built one.
These questions are genuinely fun. They’re weird and uncomfortable in ways that tell you something real about how a person actually thinks.
A thought experiment gives people something to argue about that isn’t personal, but quickly becomes personal anyway. You find out a lot about someone from whether they’d pull the trolley lever or step into the experience machine.
Thought Experiments for Dinner is more than 150 classical thought experiments, made approachable enough to actually use at dinner, with friends, on dates, or anywhere small talk has worn out its welcome.
The live version
Thought Experiments on Patios is the in-person version, running in Austin. The format puts strangers at tables outdoors with a rotating set of questions and enough structure that people actually talk to each other.
The last event brought more than 100 people together. Hundreds have already signed up for the next one. It works because the questions do.
For the live events, I write my own thought experiments, built for conversation and tested on real strangers. That collection isn’t on the site yet, but it’s coming.
Nicole Forrester is a mom and a thought experiment noodler based in Austin, Texas.
Contact
Questions, feedback, or event inquiries: hello@thoughtexperimentsfordinner.com
For Austin events, follow Thought Experiments on Patios on Instagram.