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timtyler comments on Terminology suggestion: Say "degrees utility" instead of "utils" to prompt affine thinking - Less Wrong
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Comments (43)
It seems as though you would agree that it is possible to add utility differences. The thing is, whenever anyone discusses utilities at all they are normally discussing utility differences. It's the utility of having a banana over the utility over not having a banana. Or the utility of taking a medicine over not taking it. Such differences are the things that are being added together by those who add utilities.
Describing utility differences by using the term "utility" is like calling an elapsed time a "time" - both are commonplace. You can add utilities in much the same way that you can add times and distances.
Yes, of course you can add utility differences. Utilities form an affine space, their differences lie in the vector space acting on this affine space.
I disagree that discussion of utilities is normally discussion of utility differences, but, whatever. I'm not going to spend any more karma arguing over this. Regardless, it is important to recognize the difference between the two and keep the distinction clear, just as it is with positions in time vs. durations, positions vs. displacements, etc.
If people are only going to talk about utility differences rather than utilities, then sure, "utils" is fine. I feel like I've seen enough cases of trying to add utilities (not utility differences) that I think this is a bad idea, but, whatever; I'm not going to argue about that. (And it is possible I misunderstood what they were saying because it didn't occur to me that maybe they meant utility differences and I wasn't trying to read charitably. If that is the case, that might explain why some people thought my suggestion was so unnecessary...)