Yes, an agent with a well-defined utility function "should" act to maximize it with a rigorous decision theory. Well, I'm glad I'm not such an agent. I'm very glad my life isn't governed by a simple numerical parameter like money or number of offspring. Well, there is some such parameter, but its definition includes so many of my neurons as to be unusable in practice. Joy!
Well, there is some such parameter, but its definition includes so many of my neurons as to be unusable in practice. Joy!
No joy in that. We are ignorant and helpless in attempts to find this answer accurately. But we can still try, we can still infer some answers, the cases where our intuitive judgment systematically goes wrong, to make it better!
I've often had half-finished LW post ideas and crossed them off for a number of reasons, mostly they were too rough or undeveloped and I didn't feel expert enough. Other people might worry their post would be judged harshly, or feel overwhelmed, or worried about topicality, or they just want some community input before adding it.
So: this is a special sort of open thread. Please post your unfinished ideas and sketches for LW posts here as comments, if you would like constructive critique, assistance and checking from people with more expertise, etc. Just pile them in without worrying too much. Ideas can be as short as a single sentence or as long as a finished post. Both subject and presentation are on topic in replies. Bad ideas should be mined for whatever good can be found in them. Good ideas should be poked with challenges to make them stronger. No being nasty!