MugaSofer comments on Rationality Quotes September 2012 - Less Wrong

7 Post author: Jayson_Virissimo 03 September 2012 05:18AM

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Comment author: MugaSofer 17 September 2012 04:19:11PM 0 points [-]

You can't use that tool to solve that problem.

"I wish for all humans to be immortal."

Sure, you need to start heavily promoting birth control, and there can be problems depending on how you define "immortal", but ...

It's a wish. You can wish for anything.

Unless, I suppose, that would have been your first wish. But the OP basically says your first wish was an FAI.

Comment author: mfb 17 September 2012 04:49:24PM -1 points [-]

Immortal humans can go horribly wrong, unless "number of dying humans" is really what you want to minimize.

"Increase my utility as much as you can"?

Comment author: MugaSofer 18 September 2012 07:45:52AM *  0 points [-]

I said:

there can be problems depending on how you define "immortal"

You replied:

Immortal humans can go horribly wrong

I am well aware that this wish has major risks as worded. I was responding to the claim that "you can't use that tool to solve that problem."

Yes, obviously you wish for maximised utility. But that requires the genie to understand your utility.

Comment author: chaosmosis 17 September 2012 04:53:09PM *  0 points [-]

"Increase my utility as much as you can"?

That would just cause them to pump chemicals in you head, I think. But it's definitely thinking in the right direction.

"number of dying humans" is really what you want to minimize.

Even with pseudo immortality, accidents happen, which means that the best way to minimize the number of dying humans is either to sterilize the entire species or to kill everyone. The goal shouldn't be to minimize death but to maximize life.

Overwrite my current utility function upon your previous motivational networks, leaving no motivational trace of their remains.

That actually seems like it'd work.

Comment author: wedrifid 17 September 2012 05:33:31PM 1 point [-]

"Increase my utility as much as you can"?

That would just cause them to pump chemicals in you head, I think.

It wouldn't do that (except in some sense in which it is able to do arbitrary things you don't mean when given complicated or undefined requests).

Comment author: mfb 18 September 2012 04:52:08PM -1 points [-]

That would just cause them to pump chemicals in you head, I think. But it's definitely thinking in the right direction.

As long as I am not aware of that (or do not dislike it)... well, why not. However, MugaSofer is right, the genie has to understand the (future) utility function for that. But if it can alter the future without restrictions, it can change the utility function itself (maybe even to an unbounded one... :D)