Lightwave comments on Is Politics the Mindkiller? An Inconclusive Test - Less Wrong

14 Post author: OrphanWilde 27 July 2012 05:45PM

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Comment author: Lightwave 29 July 2012 08:48:03AM 0 points [-]

There's some semantic confusion going on here with the word 'define'. By 'define your values' I meant something like 'state your values explicitly'.

Clippy's pattern matching algorithm itself defines (or constructs, if you prefer) a category that can be explicitly stated. It seems natural to say that Clippy values according to its paperclip category.

Comment author: buybuydandavis 30 July 2012 02:48:18AM 0 points [-]

a category that can be explicitly stated.

In actual fact, there's little reason to believe that anyone in the universe can explicitly state Clippy's values accurately.

I believe that with sufficient study and analysis, someone could. But positing that Clippy exists in no way entails that anyone can.