nerzhin comments on The utility curve of the human population - Less Wrong

5 Post author: dclayh 24 September 2009 09:00PM

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Comment author: nerzhin 25 September 2009 04:43:22PM 0 points [-]

You seem to be implying that you can do better. Please tell us how; how do you approximate the utility curve of the human population, and how do you know that your approximation is "better" than a linear one?

Comment author: AndrewKemendo 26 September 2009 07:36:42AM 0 points [-]

You seem to be implying that you can do better.

Quite the contrary - I am saying it is currently impossible; thus in my view useless for accurate predictive models which should be applied to decision making. I think this is all great philosophy and science but once we start talking about individual "utility functions" we are talking fantasy. This is where I diverge with the consequentialist camp (granted I used to be a consequentialist).