| abstract | - Hypotheticopolis is a city which is a sort of microcosm of the whole world, and also happens to be free from facts. It is often treated as a testing ground for moral and philosophical problems that confront the Free World (e.g. whether torture should be allowed). And for a good reason too: for, to refer to facts instead of Hypotheticopolis will be very treasonous indeed. Besides "Hypotheticopolis", this wondrous city is also known by many other names, such as "Twin Earth": On Twin Earth, a brain in a vat is at the wheel of a runaway trolley. However, this city is usually not referred to by name, but rather by terms such as "if", "suppose", and "unknown unknowns". For example: Suppose the FBI had captured Mohamed Atta before Sept. 11, 2001.
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