Nick_Tarleton comments on Essay-Question Poll: Dietary Choices - Less Wrong

12 Post author: Alicorn 03 May 2009 03:27PM

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Comment author: Nick_Tarleton 07 May 2009 06:08:04PM *  1 point [-]

Lexicographic ordering is non-zero weight. (Well, sort of. You can't represent a lexicographic ordering with a real-valued social welfare function, so nothing will have "weight" in that sense, but you get the point.)

Lexicographic ordering is zero weight outside of toy problems, since even the smallest possibility of making a difference at the highest order will exclude even the greatest possibility of making a difference at lower orders from attention – but this may have been the point of your previous comment.

Comment author: conchis 07 May 2009 06:11:04PM *  0 points [-]

Agreed. (And, yes, that was the point of my earlier comment. ;))

In this case it basically allows you to be a heartless b*****d without admitting to actually being a heartless b*****d.