Eliezer_Yudkowsky comments on A Less Wrong singularity article? - Less Wrong

28 Post author: Kaj_Sotala 17 November 2009 02:15PM

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Comment author: wedrifid 21 November 2009 04:42:53AM *  1 point [-]

From what I understand of what Eliezer's position:

A) If X should do A, then it is rational for X to do A.

False

B) If it is rational for X to do A, then X should do A.

False.

(If this isn't the case then Eliezer's 'should' is even more annoying than how I now understand it.)

Comment author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 21 November 2009 08:57:27AM 0 points [-]

Yep, both false.

Comment author: komponisto 22 November 2009 12:57:05PM 1 point [-]

So, just to dwell on this for a moment, there exist X and A such that (1) it is rational for X to do A and (2) X should not do A.

How do you reconcile this with "rationalists should win"? (I think I know what your response will be, but I want to make sure.)

Comment author: arundelo 22 November 2009 04:17:36PM 1 point [-]

Here's my guess at one type of situation Eliezer might be thinking of when calling proposition B false: It is rational (let us stipulate) for a paperclip maximizer to turn all the matter in the solar system into computronium in order to compute ways to maximize paperclips, but "should" does not apply to paperclip maximizers.

Comment author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 22 November 2009 06:02:15PM -2 points [-]

Correct.

EDIT: If I were picking nits, I would say, "'Should' does apply to paperclip maximizers - it is rational for X to make paperclips but it should not do so - however, paperclip maximizers don't care and so it is pointless to talk about what they should do." But the overall intent of the statement is correct - I disagree with its intent in neither anticipation nor morals - and in such cases I usually just say "Correct". In this case I suppose that wasn't the best policy, but it is my usual policy.

Comment author: AllanCrossman 22 November 2009 06:14:59PM *  4 points [-]

Of course, Kant distinguished between two different meanings of "should": the hypothetical and the categorical.

  1. If you want to be a better Go player, you should study the games of Honinbo Shusaku.
  2. You should pull the baby off the rail track.

This seems useful here...

Comment author: wedrifid 22 November 2009 07:11:00PM *  2 points [-]