wedrifid comments on Defeating Ugh Fields In Practice - Less Wrong

65 Post author: Psychohistorian 19 June 2010 07:37PM

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Comment author: pricetheoryeconomist 21 June 2010 04:25:19PM *  8 points [-]

"These are people whose utility function does not place a higher utility on 'dieing but not having to take my meds'."

Why are you making claims about their utility functions that the data does not back? Either people prefer less to more, knowingly, or they are making rational decisions about ignorance, and not violating their "ugh" field, which is costly for them.

How is that any different than a smoker being uncomfortable quitting smoking? (Here I recognize that smoking is obviously a rational behavior for people who choose to smoke).

Comment author: wedrifid 21 June 2010 08:45:24PM 4 points [-]

I get it. You define humans as rational agents with utility functions of whatever it is that they happen to do because it was convenient for the purposes of a model they taught you in Economics 101. You are still just wrong.