James_Miller comments on Caring about what happens after you die - Less Wrong

8 Post author: DataPacRat 18 December 2012 03:13PM

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Comment author: James_Miller 18 December 2012 03:33:19PM 15 points [-]

Question: "Would you pay $1 to stop the torture of 1,000 African children whom you will never meet and who will never impact your life other than through this dollar?"

If the answer is yes then you care about people with whom you have no causal connection. Why does it matter if this lack of connection is due to time rather than space?

Comment author: Bugmaster 19 December 2012 09:21:12PM *  2 points [-]

What if they answer "no" ? How would you convince them that "yes" is the better answer ?

Edit: see also here

Comment author: James_Miller 19 December 2012 10:38:32PM 3 points [-]

If he answered no I would stop interacting with him. See here.

Comment author: [deleted] 21 December 2012 01:15:57PM 1 point [-]

The example I read somewhere is: You have a terminal disease and you know you're going to die in two weeks. Would you press a button that gives you $10 now but will kill one billion people in one month?

Comment author: RomeoStevens 18 December 2012 03:36:58PM 0 points [-]

If the being making the offer has done sufficient legwork to convince me of the causal connection then I get a better warm fuzzy per dollar return than anything else going.

Comment author: Oligopsony 18 December 2012 03:40:32PM 2 points [-]

Mutatis mutandis the survival of sentient life, then.

Comment author: RomeoStevens 18 December 2012 03:46:58PM 1 point [-]

I am confused.

Comment author: Oligopsony 18 December 2012 04:19:52PM 2 points [-]

"Can you not get warm fuzzies from assurances as to what occurs after your death?"

Comment author: RomeoStevens 18 December 2012 05:23:49PM 0 points [-]

Ah, I see. Yes. Since other people care about what happens after I die, such assurances are useful for signalling that I am a useful ally.