ata comments on Should humanity give birth to a galactic civilization? - Less Wrong

-6 [deleted] 17 August 2010 01:07PM

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Comment author: ata 18 August 2010 03:52:15PM *  2 points [-]

I have a significantly nonzero confidence of life being an infinite good.

Doesn't that make most expected utility calculations make no sense?

Comment author: Baughn 18 August 2010 04:02:45PM 0 points [-]

A problem with the math, not with reality.

There are all kinds of mathematical tricks to deal with infinite quantities. Renormalization is something you'd be familiar with from physics; from my own CS background, I've got asymptotic analysis (which can't see the fine details, but easily can handle large ones). Even something as simple as taking the derivative of your utility function would often be enough to tell which alternative is best.

I've also got a significantly nonzero confidence of infinite negative utility, mind you. Life isn't all roses.