kateblu comments on Just another day in utopia - Less Wrong

78 Post author: Stuart_Armstrong 25 December 2011 09:37AM

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Comment author: kateblu 24 December 2011 12:49:55PM 7 points [-]

Magnificent. I gather one has an eternity to figure out his or her version of utopia and that physical death is an option. It's not quite clear to me whether Ishtar exists in manipulated multiverses or as an avatar with her brain in a vat, or ?

Comment author: DanielLC 24 December 2011 09:09:15PM 7 points [-]

It's not quite clear to me whether Ishtar exists in manipulated multiverses or as an avatar with her brain in a vat, or ?

I get the impression that it's the real world. There was a guy obsessed with everything being natural, which would be impossible in a simulation. I suppose he could have meant it being identical to nature.

Comment author: kateblu 24 December 2011 10:01:40PM 3 points [-]

I think he wanted to create his eden without the assistance of machines. Since he has been at it apparently for centuries, he couldn't be totally natural.

Comment author: Strange7 27 December 2011 06:25:27AM 8 points [-]

Unless he's counting 'normal' (like most people do) to mean 'the way it was when I was young.' From his perspective, multicentury/indefinite lifespans are just how humanity works, now.

Comment author: Stuart_Armstrong 25 December 2011 08:20:31AM *  17 points [-]

Indeed :-) but just like modern nature lovers will tell you all about it on their cell-phone, there are some artifices he just won't count as being artificial...

Plus, the Machines just dropped a love interest straight on him...

Comment author: [deleted] 25 December 2011 11:53:46AM *  26 points [-]

Last evening, after a TV news piece about breast implants:

My aunt: “I don't like that. A woman should accept her own body.” Me: “That isn't your natural hair colour, is it? So, should a woman accept her breast but not her hair?”

Comment author: kateblu 25 December 2011 04:18:17PM 1 point [-]

True, but you must remember that it is HER adventure. She is the one who hit the "pause" button. Did he have the ability to say "No"? Was there a "pause" button that he could have hit before she did?

Comment author: Stuart_Armstrong 25 December 2011 05:10:25PM 4 points [-]

He wasn't in an adventure - but when a nice opportunity to make someone happy came along at low price, the Machines wouldn't sneeze on it, I'd imagine...

Comment author: Baughn 03 August 2012 01:39:07PM 3 points [-]

Well, yes, he could have turned up the safety level; presumably, he could have done so at that moment, if he wanted to.

He chose not to.