XiXiDu comments on Objections to Coherent Extrapolated Volition - Less Wrong

11 Post author: XiXiDu 22 November 2011 10:32AM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (56)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: XiXiDu 23 November 2011 05:30:24PM 1 point [-]

The problem is not that all problems might be solved at some point but that as long as we don't turn ourselves into something similarly capable as the CEV process, then there exists an oracle that we could ask if we wanted to. The existence of such an oracle is that which is diminishing the value of research and discovery.

Comment author: TheOtherDave 23 November 2011 05:52:11PM 3 points [-]

I agree that the existence of such an oracle closes off certain avenues of research and discovery.

I'm not sure that keeping those avenues of research and discovery open is particularly important, but I agree that it might be.

If it turns out that the availability such an oracle closing off certain avenues is an important human problem, it seems to follow that any system capable of and motivated to solve human problems will ensure that no such oracle is available.

Comment author: Bugmaster 23 November 2011 07:48:37PM 2 points [-]

The existence of such an oracle is that which is diminishing the value of research and discovery

You seem to be saying that research and discovery has some intrinsic value, in addition to the benefits of actually discovering things and understanding them. If so, what is this value ?

The only answer I can think of is something like, "learning about new avenues of research that the oracle had not yet explored", but I'm not sure whether that makes sense or not -- since the perfect oracle would explore every avenue of research, and an imperfect oracle would strive toward perfection (as long as the oracle is rational).

Comment author: Elund 25 October 2014 06:29:45AM 1 point [-]

Well, the process of research and discovery can itself be enjoyable. That said, I don't feel that there is a need to hold onto our current enjoyable activities if a CEV can create novel superior ways for us to have fun.

Comment author: Alethea 11 February 2015 06:35:18PM *  0 points [-]

I would posit that divergent behaviors and approaches to the norms will still occur, despite the existence of such an oracle just for the sake of imagination, exploration, and the enjoyment of the process itself. Such oracle would also be aware of the existence of unknown future factors, and the benefits of diverse approaches to problems in the face of factors with unknown long term benefits and viability until certain processes has been executed. As you said, such an oracle would then try to explore every avenue of research, while still focusing on the ones deemed most likely to be fruitful. Such oracle should also be good on self-reflection, and able to question its own approaches and the various perspectives it is able to subsume. After all, isn't self introspection and self reflections part of how one improve themselves?

Then there's the Fun theory sequence that DSimon have posted about.