= 27d567bc2d48d9f40e9ccc20ea370b15)
JamesAndrix comments on Deception and Self-Doubt - Less Wrong
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
= 783df68a0f980790206b9ea87794c5b6)
Loading…= b715d02e85f7b3b4ae65ca3d3e450868)
Subscribe to RSS Feed
Powered by Reddit
= f037147d6e6c911a85753b9abdedda8d)
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
Comments (34)
I'm not sure a babysitter is the right example, as it is often an issue of conflicting values, rather than the babysitter actually being right, given the child's values. If you lie to a human-level paperclipper, it's not because you think they won't understand, but because you know they won't care.
A child can be fully aware that a babysitter has homework to do and still want to see the toys.
I wouldn't consider that lie justified anyway. If you're circumventing a child's preferences, you should tell them you're doing it, and why.
This is what I get for removing details to improve the flow of my writing. I'd tacked on a few conditions (like the parents expressly stating they did not want the child to go into the toy store), and then I figured the example wasn't such a big issue.
Also, that's not quite what the example states; it says she needs to get the child home soon. Perhaps he needs his medicine, perhaps his parents required him home at a certain time, perhaps he has a piano lesson. The point is that there isn't time to have the child throw a fit in front of the store.
That said, I'm not claiming that this is the absolute best approach, only that it is justifiable. Your median babysitter may have less skill with explanation than your median lesswrong commenter, not to mention she may have more skill handling children than your median lesswrong commenter.
Full agreement. (If you want them to be honest, you should teach by example.)