Douglas_Knight comments on Utilons vs. Hedons - Less Wrong

28 Post author: Psychohistorian 10 August 2009 07:20PM

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Comment author: Douglas_Knight 11 August 2009 05:41:44AM 1 point [-]

current utilons

I don't think "current utilons" makes that much sense. Utilons should be for a utility function, which is equivalent to a decision function, and the purpose of decisions is probably to influence the future. So utility has to be about the whole future course of the world. "Currently expected utilons" means what you expect to happen, averaged over your uncertainty and actual randomness, and this is what the dilemma should be about.

"Current hedons" certainly does make sense, at least because hedons haven't been specified as well.