Blueberry comments on Open Thread: June 2010 - Less Wrong

5 Post author: Morendil 01 June 2010 06:04PM

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Comment author: Blueberry 01 June 2010 10:48:54PM 2 points [-]

Except that sex, unlike the button in the story, doesn't always make people happy. Sometimes, for some people, it comes with complications that decrease net utility. (Also, it is possible to push your own button with sex.)

Comment author: mattnewport 01 June 2010 10:58:07PM *  4 points [-]

Sure, but it's not my comparison - I'm just saying it appears to be the obvious subtext of the original article.

Button pushing would become an issue of power and politics within relationships and within business. The rich and famous would get their buttons pushed all day long, while the lonely would fantasize about how great that would be.

Comment author: Houshalter 01 June 2010 11:10:08PM 1 point [-]

The rich and famous would get their buttons pushed all day long, while the lonely would fantasize about how great that would be.

But two poor, "lonely" people could just get together and push each others buttons. Thats the problem with this, any two people that can cooperate with each other can get the advantage. There was once an expiriment to evolve different programs in a genetic algorithm that could play the prisoners dilema. I'm not sure exactly how it was organized, which would really make or break different strategies, but the result was a program which always cooperated except when the other wasn't and it continued refusing to cooperate with the other untill it believed they were "even".

Comment author: mattnewport 01 June 2010 11:14:41PM 1 point [-]

Are you thinking of tit for tat?

I'm not trying to argue for or against the comparison. Would you agree that the subtext exists in the original article or do you think I'm over-interpreting?

Comment author: bentarm 02 June 2010 09:31:30AM 1 point [-]

No, the subtext is definitely there in the original article. At least, I saw it immediately, as did most of the commenters:

My invisible friend says that having your happiness button pushed will cause you to spend eternity boiling in a lava pit.