thomblake comments on Objections to Coherent Extrapolated Volition - Less Wrong

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

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Comment author: thomblake 24 November 2011 04:02:30AM 0 points [-]

the word "problem" means subtly different things

Can you explain what those two meanings are?

Comment author: TheOtherDave 24 November 2011 04:36:01AM 2 points [-]

I don't mean anything deep by it, just that for example a system might be able to optimize our environment to .99 human-optimal (which is pretty well approximated by the phrase "solving all problems") and thereby create, say, a pervasive and crippling sense of ennui that it can't yet resolve (which would constitute a "problem"). There's no contradiction in that scenario; the illusion of contradiction is created entirely by the sloppiness of language.

Comment author: DSimon 24 November 2011 04:43:16AM *  1 point [-]

I don't think I follow; if the environment is .99 human-optimal, then that remaining .01 gap implies that there are some problems remain to be solved, however few or minor, right?

It might simply be impossible to solve all problems, because of conflicting dependencies.

Comment author: TheOtherDave 24 November 2011 05:49:05AM 1 point [-]

Yes, I agree that the remaining .01 gap represents problems that remain to be solved, which implies that "solving all problems" doesn't literally apply to that scenario. If you're suggesting that therefore such a scenario isn't well-enough approximated by the phrase "solving all problems" to justify the phrase's use, we have different understandings of the level of justification required.