there can be an irrational difference between what we believe our values are and what they really are.
Certainly. We are not transparent to ourselves: we have subconscious and situation-dependent drives; we don't know in advance precisely how we'll respond to hypothetical situations, how much we'll enjoy and value them; we have various biases and inaccurate/fake memory issues which cause us to value things wrongly because we incorrectly remember enjoying them; our conscious selves self-deceive and are deceived by other brain modules; and so on.
Moreover, humans don't have well-defined (or definable) utility functions; our different values conflict.
I've read through some of the Sequences, but I'm still unclear on a few basic concepts around LW rationality. This is in part to my learning still which benefits from social engagement (ie discussions) rather than just reading. One of those concepts I'm unclear on: Is there an inherent value to human (or sentient) life?
It appears to me that one common theme on this site is that human life (current and future) is very important. Why is that so? Why is the goal people over paper clips?