RobbBB comments on Making Rationality General-Interest - Less Wrong

30 Post author: Swimmer963 24 July 2013 10:02PM

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Comment author: RobbBB 25 July 2013 03:19:53AM *  1 point [-]

Right. I'm making a point about the definition of 'rationality', not about the best way to become rational, which might very well be heavily reflective and intellectualizing. The distinction is important because the things we intuitively associate with 'rationality' (e.g., explicit reasoning) might empirically turn out not to always be useful, whereas (instrumental) rationality itself is, stipulatively, maximally useful. We want to insulate ourselves against regrets of rationality.

If having accurate beliefs about yourself reliably makes you lose, then those beliefs are (instrumentally) irrational to hold. If deliberating over what to do reliably makes you lose, then such deliberation is (instrumentally) irrational. If reflecting on your preferences and coming to understand your goals better reliably makes you lose, then such practices are (instrumentally) irrational.

Comment author: Swimmer963 25 July 2013 03:46:11AM 0 points [-]

Agreed that it's a good distinction to make.