CronoDAS comments on Ethics as a black box function - Less Wrong
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Full context here.
Skimming around his site, it's interesting, but I think he made a basic mistake
From here:
Of course, the definition of my utility function will include a term for steaks, or alcohol, or whatever intrinsic value they help me achieve. Maximizing utility is not, therefore, contradictory to valuing a steak. My desire to maximize utility includes my desire to eat steak (or whatever intrinsic value it helps me attain).
This seems like a real simple mistake, so maybe I am simply misunderstanding him. Anyone who knows his work better care to comment (at least before I have more time to poke around his site some more)?
I didn't read any more of his site, but just from the excerpt you gave, her [1] point seems to be that if you value total utility, then you will have to deprive yourself to benefit people in general, which people can't do -- they inevitably act as if their own utility carries more weight than that of others.
[1] Hey, if he can use pronouns confusingly and inconsistently, so can we!
Fyfe annoys me sometimes because he continuously ignores my requests to express concepts in mathematical language.