Stuart_Armstrong comments on Think Like Reality - Less Wrong

49 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 02 May 2007 06:36AM

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Comment author: Stuart_Armstrong 03 May 2007 02:35:01PM 0 points [-]

Eliezer, If a theory seems bizarre to your intuitions, then either the theory is wrong or your intuitions need reshaping.

I'm leaning towards embracing your point more, but still two issues: 1) "need". If my intuition tell me something, but I know it's wrong, and I can deal with it without letting my intuition interfere, why do I need to reshape my intuition - shouldn't I just go with "don't trust my intuition"? 2) As a mathematician, I have good mathematical intuition. It helped me when I took a course on quantum mechanics and relativity. However, the QM results offended my everyday intuition, and still do. However, I could still develop QM results, based on my mathematical intuition and knowledge (and I'd get them right). If I considered the world of QM as a non-existent mathematical fiction, I could still can work in it. So why do I need to make my everyday intuition match QM reality? What do I gain?