Larks comments on Rationality Quotes February 2013 - Less Wrong

2 Post author: arundelo 05 February 2013 10:20PM

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Comment author: shminux 02 February 2013 07:15:05PM 1 point [-]

Something not (currently) possible can still be desirable.

Comment author: Larks 02 February 2013 07:59:34PM 11 points [-]

FTL being impossible is undesirable if you want to go to the stars.

The conclusion that "FTL is impossible" is undesirable if and only iff FTL is possible.

The two conditions are very different.

Comment author: shminux 05 February 2013 02:34:05AM 3 points [-]

They are indeed. You seem to have added a level of indirection not present in the original statement. One statement is about this world, the other is about possible worlds.

Comment author: Baruta07 04 February 2013 09:49:05PM *  1 point [-]

Shouldn't it read

"FTL is impossible" is undesirable if and only if FTL is possible."

as it stands it reads "FTL is impossible" is undesirable if and only if and only if (iff) FTL is possible.

Comment author: bbleeker 06 February 2013 12:38:54PM 1 point [-]

Actually, it should be "FTL is impossible" is undesirable if and only if FTL is possible."

Comment author: Baruta07 06 February 2013 05:34:53PM *  2 points [-]

Facepalms okay this is why I need to proofread everything I write

Thanks

Comment author: Baughn 08 February 2013 05:05:00PM *  0 points [-]

Shouldn't it really be "Believing that FTL is impossible is undesirable iff FTL is possible"?

You seemed to be doing something clever with quotes, but mostly that made it hard to read. :P

Comment author: Baruta07 08 February 2013 05:30:11PM 0 points [-]

The author originally added an extra f to the last if in the original post rendering it as "if and only if and only if" instead of "if and only if"