nshepperd comments on Be Happier - Less Wrong

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Comment author: nshepperd 25 April 2012 02:01:53PM *  3 points [-]

Now -- hedonism is the default consensus view here on LessWrong.com.

What? Really?

(I'm thinking of this and this.)

Comment author: TheOtherDave 25 April 2012 02:22:04PM 1 point [-]

No, not really.
Or, at least, not obviously.
I can see making an argument that most LW users implicitly adopt a hedonistic model when thinking about stuff-people-value, even if they would explicitly reject such a model. I'm not sure that's true, but I'm not sure it's false either; certainly I find myself doing that sometimes when I don't pay attention. I don't think that's sufficient justification to declare hedonism a local consensus, but I suppose one could probably make that argument as well.

Comment author: Logos01 25 April 2012 08:12:38PM *  -1 points [-]

(I'm thinking of this and this.)

Eudaimonic hedonism is still a form of hedonism.

(EDIT: Specifically it's epicurian as compared to cyrenaic.)

Comment author: thomblake 25 April 2012 08:28:59PM *  2 points [-]

Eudaimonic hedonism is still a form of hedonism.

That seems entirely wrong. In fact, I think "eudaimonic hedonism" is just a contradiction in terms. Normally eudaimonic well-being is contrasted with hedonistic well-being.

ETA: Maybe you were thinking, "Eudaimonist utlitiarianism is still a form of utilitarianism"?

Comment author: nshepperd 26 April 2012 06:55:17AM 0 points [-]

I see. Then you do not mean that

pleasure is the "measure of utility". That is; utility is pleasure; pleasure is utility.

is the consensus view here at LW. Since after all, the consensus view here is that wireheading is a bad idea.

Comment author: Logos01 26 April 2012 07:39:24AM 0 points [-]

Then you do not mean that

pleasure is the "measure of utility". That is; utility is pleasure; pleasure is utility.

Eudaimonic pleasure -- happiness -- is of a nature that wireheading would not qualify as valid happiness/pleasure. It would be like 'empty calories'; tasty but unfulfilling.

So no, I do not not mean that 'pleasure is the "measure of utility"' is the mainstream consensus view on LessWrong. I do mean that, and I believe it to be so. "Hedons" and "utilons" are used interchangeably here.

Comment author: nshepperd 26 April 2012 01:00:01PM *  2 points [-]

So you do not mean that LWers hold that pleasure (by which I mean the standard definition) is the measure of utility, and that these people would wirehead and are therefore wrong.

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