Fetterkey comments on Deciding on our rationality focus - Less Wrong

34 Post author: Kaj_Sotala 22 July 2009 06:27AM

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Comment author: steven0461 22 July 2009 06:40:45AM *  31 points [-]

Upvoted for not being about gender.

If you ask me, the term "instrumental rationality" has been subject to inflation. It's not supposed to mean better achieving your goals, it's supposed to mean better achieving your goals by improving your decision algorithm itself, as opposed to by improving the knowledge, intelligence, skills, possessions, and other inputs that your decision algorithm works from. Where to draw the line is a matter of judgment but not therefore meaningless.

Comment author: Fetterkey 22 July 2009 06:45:30AM 2 points [-]

I strongly agree, and I'd like to add that I definitely see a place for this sort of instrumental rationality here.