PeerInfinity comments on The Fundamental Question - Less Wrong

43 Post author: MBlume 19 April 2010 04:09PM

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Comment author: PeerInfinity 23 April 2010 08:43:41PM 1 point [-]

um... can you please explain what the difference is, between "having some probability X of making the difference between success and failure, of achieving a positive Singularity" and "boosting the probability of a positive Singularity, by some amount Y"? To me, these two statements seem logically equivalent. Though I guess they focus on different details...

oh, I just noticed one obvious difference: X is not equal to Y

Comment author: cupholder 23 April 2010 09:27:33PM 1 point [-]

Though I guess they focus on different details...

Yeah, what I wrote was intended as an alternative way of thinking about the situation that might make you feel better, rather than an accusation of wrongness.

Comment author: PeerInfinity 23 April 2010 09:57:35PM *  4 points [-]

I guess I'll still need to think about this some more...

some random observations:

if X > 0, then Y > 0

if Y > 0, then X > 0

I was about to question whether maybe X = Y after all, but further thought reveals that X isn't clearly defined, and I really would be better off focusing on Y, because Y is more clearly defined than X, and thinking about Y seems to trigger less panic than thinking about X.

So, yeah, thanks again for your comment. It was helpful. :)

Comment author: cupholder 23 April 2010 10:52:02PM 1 point [-]

No problem!