Vladimir_Nesov comments on A Master-Slave Model of Human Preferences - Less Wrong

58 Post author: Wei_Dai 29 December 2009 01:02AM

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Comment author: Jonii 30 December 2009 12:19:54PM *  0 points [-]

From discussions with you, I seem to recall that you at least value free access to information and other things associated with the Pirate ideology

I do value it in the meaning "I think that it's really useful approximation for how society can protect itself and all people in it and make many people happy". Why I care about making many people happy? I don't, really. Making many people happy is kinda assumed to be the goal of societies, and out of general interest in optimizing stuff I like to attempt to figure out better ways for it to do that. Nothing beyond that. I don't feel that this goal is any "better" than trying to make people as miserable as possible. Other than that I object to being miserable myself.

I don't remember ever claiming something to be wrong as such, but only wrong assuming some values. Going against pirate-values because it's better for magazine-keeper would be bad news for the "more optimal" pirate-society, because that society wouldn't be stable.

edit: And based on that writing, my own well-being and not-unhappiness is the sole intrinsic value I have. I know evolution has hammered some reactions into my brain, like reflex-like bad feeling when I see others get hurt or something, but other than that brief feeling, I don't really care.

Or, I wouldn't care if my own well-being wouldn't relate to others doing well or worse. But undestanding this requires conscious effort, and it's quite different than what I thought values to be like.

Comment author: Kaj_Sotala 30 December 2009 01:13:27PM 4 points [-]

Interesting.

In that case, your own well-being is probably your only intrinsic value. That's far from unheard of: the amount of values people have varies. Some have lots, some only have one. Extremely depressed people might not have any at all.