Vladimir_Nesov comments on Revisiting torture vs. dust specks - Less Wrong

5 [deleted] 08 July 2009 11:04AM

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Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 08 July 2009 04:17:32PM *  -1 points [-]

I prefer dust specks because I insist on counting people one at a time. I think it's obvious that any single person presented with the opportunity to save someone else from fifty years of torture by experiencing a dust speck in the eye ought to do so.

This is defection, a suboptimal strategy. Each person in isolation prefers to defect in Prisoner's dilemma.

Any of those 3^^^3 people who would not voluntarily do so, I don't have enough sympathy for such individuals to step in on their behalf and spare them the dust speck.

And this is preference for fuzzies over utility, inability to shut up and multiply.

Comment author: thomblake 08 July 2009 04:30:18PM -2 points [-]

And this is preference for fuzzies over utility, inability to shut up and multiply.

If this is true, then by reductio, preference of utility is incorrect.