PhilGoetz comments on Homogeneity vs. heterogeneity (or, What kind of sex is most moral?) - Less Wrong

-8 Post author: PhilGoetz 22 May 2009 11:25PM

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Comment author: steven0461 24 May 2009 10:05:15AM *  1 point [-]

I'm still not getting the point even after the rewrite. Aren't collective goals best served by pure collectivists with no regard for their self-interest? (Note that real humans in a communist system are not pure collectivists.) A collectivist can always just copy the individualist strategy when that is expected to best serve the collective goal.

It also looks to me like the post isn't careful enough in distinguishing fitness-maximizing vs. adaptation-executing.

Comment author: PhilGoetz 26 May 2009 09:05:34PM 0 points [-]

It also looks to me like the post isn't careful enough in distinguishing fitness-maximizing vs. adaptation-executing.

Now that I know what you mean by adaptation-executing, I can tell you that it isn't relevant. Here are the concepts I'm using:

  • Exploitation vs. exploration

  • Kin selection

These are concepts used for goal optimization and fitness maximization. Adaptation execution becomes relevant only after evolution has operated, in some particular historical context.