JamesAndrix comments on The Importance of Self-Doubt - Less Wrong

23 Post author: multifoliaterose 19 August 2010 10:47PM

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Comment author: JamesAndrix 21 August 2010 04:57:00AM *  2 points [-]

There may be multiple different projects projects, each necessary to save the world, and each having a key person who knows more about the project, and/or is more driven and/or is more capable than anyone else. Each such person has weirdly high expected utility, and could accurately make a statement like EY's and still not be the person with the highest expected utility. Their actual expected utility would depend on the complexity of the project and the surrounding community, and how much the success of the project alters the value of human survival.

This is similar to the idea that responsibility is not a division of 100%.

http://www.ranprieur.com/essays/mathres.html