In thought experiments, philosophers and scientists occasionally imagine entities with special abilities as a way to pose thought experiment or highlight apparent paradoxes. The word "demon" here does not necessarily connotate a demon, a malevolent being. For instance, when William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) came up with the Maxwell's demon, to highlight the implications of James Clerk Maxwell statistical interpretation of thermodynamics. He used the term in analogy to daemons in Greek mythology, supernatural beings as unseen forces of nature.

Notable examples

Similar entities

There are other creatures which feature in thought experiments about philosophy. One such creature is a utility monster, a creature which derives much more utility (such as enjoyment) from resources than other beings, and hence under a strict utilitarian system would have more or all of the available resources directed to it. Newcomb's paradox supposes a being who is believed to be capable of predicting human behavior; Robert Nozick suggested a "being from another planet, with an advanced technology and science, whom you know to be friendly". Philosophical zombies are similar to Searle's Demon, above. The thought experiment posits humans with no form of soul, consciousness, or intentionality, but which react exactly the way a "normal" human might. Outwardly, they are indistinguishable from "normal" humans.