Eugine_Nier comments on Bad Concepts Repository - Less Wrong

20 Post author: moridinamael 27 June 2013 03:16AM

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Comment author: Eugine_Nier 29 June 2013 06:19:09AM 0 points [-]

"Deserve" is harmful because we would often rather destroy utility than allow an undeserved outcome distribution.

Would you also two box on Newcomb’s problem?

Comment author: PhilGoetz 29 June 2013 03:56:43PM 0 points [-]

You can still use precommitment, but tie it to consequences rather than to Justice. Take Edward Snowden. Say that the socially-optimal outcome is to learn about the most alarming covert government programs, but not about all covert programs. So you want some Edward Snowdens to reveal some operations, but you don't want that to happen very often. The optimal behavior may be to precommit to injustice, punishing government employees who reveal secrets regardless of whether their actions were justified.

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 30 June 2013 04:56:18AM 1 point [-]

International espionage is probably one of the worst examples to attempt to generalize concepts like justice from. It's probably better to start with simpler (and more common) examples like theft or murder and then use the concepts developed on the simpler examples to look at the more complicated one.